Bonneville Salt Flats – Wendover, Utah
Posted by: 
Team2002
N 40° 45.755 W 113° 53.730
12T E 255596 N 4516436
When most people thing of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah they think racing and speed records, however these salt flats are rich in minerals containing potassium, sodium and magnesium.
Waymark Code: WMDKH5
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 01/26/2012
Views: 41
The Bonneville Salt Flats is a densely-packed salt pan in northwestern Utah that is a remnant of the Pleistocene Era, Lake Bonneville. The salt flats are actually the bed of that once massive lake which rivaled in size present Lake Michigan.
When Lake Bonneville was at its highest level approximately 17,000 years ago, the water was over 1,000 feet deep. As Lake Bonneville receded, evaporation left large concentrations of dissolved minerals deposited in surrounding soils. These minerals include potash, which is commercially used as fertilizer and halite (table salt). The Bonneville Salt Flats are comprised of approximately 90% salt.
Today, shallow ground water flows from the surrounding watershed, picks up dissolved minerals along the way, and percolates up to Salt Flats’ surface. During the cooler months (November to May), this groundwater floods the Salt Flats several inches deep. When temperatures rise in late spring and summer, the salty water rapidly evaporates in the heat, and minerals are left behind to form a salt crust. Wind, periodic rainstorms, and regional climate also play an important part in changing salt crust conditions throughout each year. The stratified layers that form the salt flats are almost 5 feet thick near the center and only an inch or two at the outer edges. The Salt Flats are just over 46 square miles in size (30,000 acres) which equates to about 147 million tons, or 99 million cubic yards, of salt!
Potash is mined from the brine in the aquifer. Brine from the very shallow aquifer is collected in open ditches. In addition there is a deep aquifer 1,000 feet below ground that provides additional brine. The brine that is collected in the ditch system is pumped into an 8,000 acre solar evaporation pond to evaporate water and precipitate several mineral salts.
As the brine becomes saturated with potash, it is transferred through a series of smaller evaporation ponds into harvest ponds. When the ripened brine finally reaches the harvest ponds, the ore (a combination of salt and potash) is precipitated out of solution on the pond floor. The remaining brine in the harvest ponds is removed and the ore is harvested and transported by self-loading scrapers to the mill for processing.
The mine also pumps brine onto the surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats in order to protect it from erosion caused by weather, traffic, and racing. The project consists of a series of canals and old salt ponds through which water is pumped to dissolve the old salt. The resulting salt brine is then pumped onto the Salt Flats throughout the winter months to ensure the Flats are ready for the summer and fall racing events. Since the project began in 1997, over 7 million tons of salt have been pumped onto the Salt Flats – ensuring that Bonneville will remain a source for land speed records as well as potash.
Due to its unique geology, history, and scenic beauty, the Bonneville Salt Flats was designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1985. It is administered by the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Kind: Salt Pan
Is the place still active?: yes
|
Visit Instructions:
To log your visit, please describe your experience while accessing the place and upload at least an original picture taken on the location. Any additional information you may be able to gather about the place will be highly appreciated.