Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-01-31

IYUO0G A9v0As
From tho Salt Lake Tribune,l
81 Along the base of the Wasatcl
around the islands Of the Gear Sal
Lake and the island like mountains tha
rise above the level Of the deserts O
these valleys may be seen horizonta
terTacss, the highest of which are Q
thousand feet above the level of the
lake. These terraces have been care
fully examined, and their relative
heights compared to determine the bouu-
daries and altitude at various geological
epochs Of a great prehistoric lake to
which Prof. G.. K. Gilbert has given
the name Of Lake Bonneville. The
shore lines alluded to are invariably
noticed BY travellers among the curiosi.
ties Of hissegion, and referred by them
to the action Of the water, and as indi-
eating former sea beaches. The bound.
aries Of this lake have been we'll de-.
fined, and one Of the Wheeler maps
show that these valleys in which lake
t1tah, the Jordan river and Great Salt
Lake are situated with the adjacent
deserts and the entire basin of Utah,
form the bed Of this ancient lake.
\ ~ GREAT SALT LAKE
Is situated at the lowest part Of this
basin, aud having no outlet receiving
as it does the influx Of Jordan, Weber
and Bear rivers, besides other minor
streams. which flow down from the
Wasatch mountains, it rises and falls
with every climatic fuctuation, it's
change Of level indicating the alternate
ing effects Of rainfall and evaporation.
Lake Bonneville extended from. north
70 south about 300 miles, the extreme
width At point a little north Of Salt
Lake City was from east to west 1870
miles. 1t is established that the an.
cient lake was fresh water, a fact made
very evident by the fossil fresh water
mollusks found in the calcareoas tufa
which forms the cementing material of
the gravels which compose the upper
terraces Of the lake. Prof. Gilbert
gives the heigh. Of the upper terrace.
to which he has given the name Of
Bonneville Beach, as 5,17S feet above
the level Of the sea. The next we'll
defined terrace below this he calls the
Provo Beach, which is 4,S1S feet above
sea level.
To professor Gilbert is given the
honor Of having discovered the outlet
Of this fossil lake, and Red Rock. Pass,
near Oxford, Idaho, is announced as the
place through which its waters burst
forth, by which the level Of the lake
was reduced to that of the Provo Beach
The geological period in which this oc-
CURED is known as the quartenary, SUBJ
sequsnt to this it is supposed that pre-
visiting drought caused the lake grad
ually 10 evaporate, until at the present
time the lake is confined to the bound.
aries Of the Great Salt Lake.
According to the government reports
the tufa of the shores of Lake Bonne
vile represents the insoluble. and the
present Lake waters the soluble ma.
terials Of the ancient lake; the insoluble
portions are shown to be sand and gravel,
with salts consisting Of chlorides, car.
donates and sulphates Of soda and pot.
ash. On the great western deserts
large deposits Of almost pure chloride Of
sodium, or common salt, arc found. An
analysis Of the lake water by Prof.
Allen shows that its constituents are
chloride Of sodium, sulphate Of potash,
sulphate Of lime and chloride Of mag
ncsium, the chlorides Of sodium and
magnesium largely predominatiug. The
Dead Sen has higher percentage Of
saline matter, over 20 per cent. of solid
matter being occasionally held in SIS.
pension; but in the large proportion Of
hillside Vt sodium The waters Of Great
Salt LAKE are the nearest approach to q
1atufstsd solution Of common salt.
The level OF the lake is somewhat
lower than at the time Of our last an.
nnal report, Il then being 4,2lS fee,
shove the sea. The degree Of salinity
may possibly vary with the amount Of
rainfall, but in the coming season its
condition will probably be fully investi-
gated and reported on officially.
The only life found in the lake visi
bio tothe naked eye is the tiny crus
tacea known to naturalists as the drtemid
ferf'lis, of which tho ova exist in
abundance 10 the oozc at the bottom Of
Abe lake ready TO start forth into being
in the coming warm season. Abundant
life, both vegetable and animal, is there
- shown by Packard aud Others; bu
the conditions are unfavorable to th,
existence Of the fnny tribes.