• A Million Meals
  • About JacobBarlow.com
  • Cemeteries in Utah
  • D.U.P. Markers
  • Doors
  • Exploring Utah Email List
  • External and Referral Links
  • Geocaching
  • Historic Marker Map
  • Movie/TV Show Filming Locations
  • Oldest in Utah
  • Other Travels
  • Photos Then and Now
  • S.U.P. Markers
  • U.P.T.L.A. Markers
  • Utah Cities and Places.
  • Utah Homes for Sale
  • Utah Treasure Hunt

JacobBarlow.com

~ Exploring with Jacob Barlow

JacobBarlow.com

Tag Archives: Lake Bonneville

Lake Bonneville

20 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Lake Bonneville

Growing up in Utah I could always see an old water level mark on the foothills of all the mountains. It was lake Bonneville, a huge ancient lake that covered 51,530 square miles and was over 1,000 feet deep in places.

As I explore and document I find a lot of references to the lake and I’m creating this page to link back to from those pages.

The sign at the Pilot Peak historic marker says:

Imagine Lake Bonneville some 10,000 years ago as a cast lake larger than the present Great Salt Lake. Its eastern boundary would be the Wasatch Mountains at Salt Lake City and its west boundary the Toano and Goshute Mountains to your left.

The last major glacial period in North America began about 23,000 years ago. During that time the water level of Lake Bonneville rose because of colder temperatures and a wetter climate. This freshwater lake was over 1,000 feet deep and covered 51,530 square miles – an area the size of Arkansas. If you were standing in this spot 15,000 years ago, you would be more than 500 feet underwater! Pilot Peak, the pyramid shaped mountain in front of you, was merely a small island surrounded by a freshwater lake teeming with fish.

About 15,500 years ago, water rushing through a break in a natural dam along Lake Bonneville’s northern shore dropped the lake level over 300 feet in just a few months! These raging floodwaters deepened the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. A warmer and drier climate over the next 5,000 years slowly caused the lake to shrink even further. Look carefully at the surrounding hills, especially east toward Wendover. You can still see the beach terraces left at the different high water marks as the lake receded. The Great Salt Lake is all that remains of this once vast lake.

Related Posts:

  • The Bonneville Salt Flats is a remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville.

G.K. Gilbert Geologic View Park

23 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bells Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Geologic, Geological, Geology, Glaciers, Lake Bonneville, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake County Parks, Sandy

2019-09-30 16.00.38

picture27apr08-007

Grove Karl Gilbert (1843-1918) is considered one of the greatest American geologists, having pioneered many theories in the earth sciences.  In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Gilbert advanced concepts of mountain building, fault scarps, earthquake probabilities, and lake cycles that have withstood the test of time and are still used today.  Furthermore, Gilbert applied science toward promoting public welfare by advocating the need for evaluation of risks and public disclosure of geologic hazards.

Utah was one of Gilbert’s favorite study areas where he formulated many of his theories.  He spent much time at this particular location and was the first to establish that Little Cottonwood Canyon and Bells Canyon glaciers descended as far as the shoreline of ancient Lake Bonneville.  Gilbert was also the first person to recognize the earthquake hazard posed by the Wasatch fault.

Related Posts:

  • Little Cottonwood Rocks
  • Salt Lake County Parks

South Rim of the Great Basin

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Jacob Barlow in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Geologic, Great Basin, historic, Iron County, Kanarraville, Lake Bonneville, utah

  • picture27dec07-004

The low ridge at the south end of This valley forms the south rim of the Great Basin, which in prehistoric times was the bed of a vast body of water now referred to as Lake Bonneville. It was so named in honor of Captain Benjamin L.E. Bonneville, who in 1833 directed the first scientific exploration of its largest remnant, the Great Salt Lake.

Lake Bonneville extended 350 miles to the north and was in places 145 miles wide with a maximum depth of 1050 ft. It’s shoreline is clearly discernible on the mountain slopes-fringing the basin through Red Rock Pass in what is now southern Idaho, the lake drained to the Pacific Ocean, it’s waters flowing down the Portneuf, Snake, and Columbia rivers.

Of this large body of water the Great Salt Lake, Utah, Sevier, and other small water bodies lying in the lowest part of the lake bed and having no outlet, Great Salt Lake, became the “Dead Sea” of the western hemisphere.

  • picture01march08-016

Follow Jacob

Follow Jacob

While you're here, take a look at my project to feed hungry children with Nourish the Children. I'd love the help! JacobBarlow.com/meals

Blog Stats

  • 1,038,766 hits

Social and Other Links

BarlowLinks.com

Recent Posts

  • 215 S State St
  • 37 E Main St
  • 2635 E Robidoux Rd
  • 815 N 200 W (Freedom Blvd)
  • Eagle Rock Crossing

Archives

 

Loading Comments...