Bonneville Salt Flats Information
The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely-packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. The area is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville and is the largest of many salt flats located west of the Great Salt Lake. The property is public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is known for land speed records at the "Bonneville Speedway". Access is free and visitors can drive on the flats.
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History
Geologist Grove Karl Gilbert named the area after Benjamin Bonneville, a U.S. Army officer who explored the Intermountain West in the 1830s.[3][4] In 1907 Bill Rishel and two local businessmen tested the suitability of the salt for driving on by taking a Pierce Arrow onto the surface of the flats.[5] A railway line across the Bonneville Salt Flats was completed in 1910, marking the first permanent crossing.[3] The first land speed record was in 1914 by Teddy Tetzlaff.[6]
Bonneville Salt Flats at midday in summerEntertainment filmed at the salt flats include portions of Knight Rider TV Series (1982),Warlock, Independence Day, SLC Punk, Cremaster 2 from Cremaster Cycle, The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, Gerry, The Tree of Life and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Furthermore, the Pontiac Bonneville (former flagship sedan of the Pontiac motor division), the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and the Bonneville International media company are all named for the salt flats.
Reduction in Size
Due to extraction of salt from the area, the salt flats have begun to disappear. Once around 90,000 acres in size, they are now only 30,000 acres.[7] The salt layer is thought to be shrinking due to the use of the salt in the making of potash, a mineral ingredient used in fertilizer. A nearby potash plant uses a system of canals, pipes, and tunnels to collect the brine that is produced during the rainy winter season in the area. This brine is then used to make potash. The company has begun to voluntarily spray leftover brine back onto the salt flats. It is estimated that over 55 million short tons of salt have been taken from the salt flats since mining began in 1963. Geologists estimate that 18 inches of salt crust have been removed from the flats, and that the reduction of salt happens at a pace of one percent per year. In some areas, the salt is now a mere 1/2 inch thick.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Query Form For The United States And Its Territories". U.S. Board on Geographic Names. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
- ^ Lines, Gregory C (1979). Hydrology and surface morphology of the Bonneville Salt Flats and Pilot Valley Playa, Utah. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/wsp/wsp2057. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ a b "The Bonneville Salt Flats". Bureau of Land Management. http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/bonneville_salt.htm. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Joseph Tingley; et.al. (2009). A Geologic and Natural History Tour Through Nevada and Arizona Along U. S. Highway 93 with GPS Coordinates. NV Bureau of Mines & Geology. p. 135.
- ^ Hanna, Tim (2005). One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro.
- ^ Radbruch, Don (2004). Dirt Track Auto Racing, 1919-1941.
- ^ Adams, Guy (17 March 2012). "Flat Out: End of the road for Utah's speed plains". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/flat-out-end-of-the-road-for-utahs-speed-plains-7575839.html. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
External links
- Bonneville Salt Flats - BLM
Categories:
- Deserts of Utah
- Land speed record venues
- Great Salt Lake Desert
- Salt flats of the United States
- Landforms of Tooele County, Utah
- Landforms of Utah
- Bureau of Land Management areas in Utah
- Protected areas of Tooele County, Utah
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