Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-24
THE GREAT SALT LAKE
Nestled in the Bottom of Basin Without
Outlet.
Ancient shore Lines That Reveal
Great Changes That Have Taken
Place in the Historic Past.


a desert plain surrounding IL IN part tre
mountain ranges, themselves barren and
desolate. The lake is nestled in the bottom
of true basin without outlet, part of the
Great Basin. So slight Is the rainfall that
the basin cannot fill and overflow to the
sea- The rain water evaporates in the dry
air and the streams that flow down from
the mountains suffered the same fate even
before the Mormons came to spread their
waters out over the land to transform 1t
from desert to garden
Each stream on the land gathers little
salt on its journey. and since this cannot
evaporate as the water does. 1t remains be-
hind From the mountains and from the
light rains of the desert enough water is
supplied to transform a part OF the plain
TO lake: but in the dry air the evapora-
ton is so great that only a small part of
the supply remains to form the lake Thus
little by little the lake water receives It's
supply of salt and therefore becomes
salter and salter. This is the cause of most
salt lakes.
But the Great Salt lake has not always
been salt From almost any point IN SAT-
Lake City and along the shores of the lake
one can easily detect lines extending along
the mountain slopes. They are essentially
horizontal. and extend one above the other
in parallel belts 1t is easy to visit some of
these lines; in fact, some of them may be
reached by the electric cars Upon exam
ination they are found to be in the main
gravel terraces, linear. fat-topped benches
on the mountain TANKS, reaching the noun
tans in the rear and ending in the oppo-
site direction in a steep terrace slope. They
are made of sand and gravel from water
worn and well-rounded pebbles. Where
streams come down from the mountain the
terraces broaden markedly. and in places
they are partly replaced by steep cliffs of
rocks on some projecting spur of the noun
tain Such cliffs are usually faced by
narrow terrace of gravel.
The cowboys riding over these terraces
Ze.f a haaHhpas Parly RYDlOr-
ers also referred to them evidence of
former higher water in the Salt Lake
basin; and Gilbert, as result of his care
full study of them. proved that this inter
probation was correct Any who wish to
know the details of this history must refer
to Gilbert's works previously mentioned;
and I may add that his account of his
studies is so clearly and beautifully written
that any educated man can read and I'M
derstand his description
These ancient shore lines are almost as
perfect as one would find along the coast of
one of our great lakes, if the waters could
be withdrawn from 1t. so as to reveal not
only the beaches and cliffs that rise above
water. but also the waye-built forms be-
low The broad terraces opposite the
streams are deltas. the narrow terraces are
beaches. bars and spits, while the cliffs
represent The cutting work of the waves on
exposed points. In the arid climate they
have wasted away so slightly that they
stand today in almost as much perfection
of form as when the waters first withdrew
from them. One cannot mistake their
meaning. They tell of a former great lake
to which Gilbert has given the name Lake
bonneville. in recognition of the work of
the explorer Bonneville.
When this expanded ancestor of Great
Salt lake reached its highest stage 1t over
flowed across Red Rock Pass. through
Marsh Creek valley into the Columbia and
its waters were fresh. The area of Lake
Bonneville was then about 1850 square
miles. and its maximum depth about 1850
feet. the present Mormon temple now
81 yxyha
deep and the entire lowland in the neigh
borhOod of Salt Lake City being under wa
ter.
The tiers of shore lines, together with
other phenomena of the region. show that
this stage of rise to place of overflow was
but one of a succession of events in the
recent geological history Of the region In
the FIRST place the basin was dry and con-
tanned little. II any. water. Nhe basin then
began to I'LL; but the water did noI rise to
a point of oterfiow. Another period Of
aridIJy succeeded this. until the basin was
again nearly. If not entirely, dry Then
came the rise. which continued until the
rim Of the basin mas reached and an over
fOw TO the sea established Since then the
climate has been growing progressively
more aria even to the very present In
fact ii seems from good evidence that the
lake is still diminishing in area
Little can be said about the time involved
in these changes. Gilbert finds evidence
that the first arid period was longer than
either of the two succeeding periods of
than the present arid period. while the first
rise Of water appears to have lasted fully
five times as long as the second during
which the lake overhowed- What this
means in years cannot be stated: but it is
doubtless to be estimated in tens Of thou
sands of years. The last rise cannot have
been far in the past. for the shore lines
which record ii are now 50 distinct: and all
of the changes belong to the recent stages
of geological history.
Nor can We al present tell much about
1p,-lys. -. han
climate. The rise Of the lake waters repre-
s-nts either a period of greater rainfall. or
lesSen-d evaporation. or both; for il tells
Of the transformation of desert region
of interior drainage To one of sufficient rain
fall. OF sufficiently diminished evaporation,
to permit of overflow to the sea Not only
do We ind evidence Of vast changes of eli
mate here. but other desert regions Doth
fl the Great Basin and in other parts OF
the world tell of similar changes Enough
evidence has been accumulated here and
elsewhere To prove that the climate of
many regions which We know is different
Tpw from what it was in the past. and To
CIV" fair basis for prediction that it will be
different still in the future.
Whether these changes are due to Varia-
ton in land level, To the formation or re-
moval Of land barriers which interfere with
free movement of wind currents, to the
changes in ocean currents to other
purely geographic variations, or whether
they To be ascribed to astronomical
causes Of known or unknown origin cannot
ne S-ttled now 1iSpOtntSeS are mol lack
ing. and each hypothesis has its advocates:
but all are hypothesis still. Man has lived
for too short a time the earth, and the
knowledge of fact that he has acquired il
far too limited to warrant any conclusion
upon this as upon many other large Ques-
tons The fact OF change in climate must
b. accepted as a fact amply proved the
cause Of the change must remain among
the great problems for the future to solve
II Is interesting to note however, that the
changes in the climate Of the Salt Lake re-
gi"n harmonic with the climatic changes
that have been worked out by the studies
Of the glacial deposits of the east. There
were two notable advances of the ice as
there were two notable rises of the lake
waters Not only this, but there is known
I" have been extensive gaciatiOn among
The mountains Of the west: and moreover
That This glaciation occurred at the same
time that the lakes were higher. This sug-
E"StS that whatever caused the glaciati0n
Of the glacial period also caused the rise in
the lakes Heavier precipitation in the
FORM Of snow among the mountains and
leSSea~d evaporation because Of the. cold
would suffice to account for the rise in IN.
laNr; but this does not remove the din
Guilty of accounting for the changes for
what caused the heavier precipitation in the
form Of snow and the greater cold?