US EditionFreshwater Found Miles Deep Under Great Salt Lake
Researchers mapped a freshwater reservoir beneath the Great Salt Lake covering about 950 square miles, extending 3 to 4 kilometers deep, with potential to aid dust mitigation efforts.
- University of Utah researchers discovered a massive freshwater reservoir beneath the Great Salt Lake using airborne electromagnetic surveys, lead author Michael Zhdanov confirmed.
- Circular mounds of reeds on the dry lakebed in Farmington Bay prompted the study; these formations, measuring about 160 to 330 feet wide, indicated freshwater rising under pressure.
- Hydrologist Bill Johnson noted the freshwater extends toward the lake's interior, reaching depths of 10,000 to 13,000 feet, challenging previous hydrological assumptions regarding water movement.
- As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, nearly 800 square miles of exposed lakebed release dust affecting nearby communities; Johnson suggests managing this groundwater could dampen those hotspots safely.
- While the initial survey covered only a small section, Zhdanov advocates for scanning the entire 1,500-square-mile lake, as comprehensive mapping could guide regional water management and locate similar reservoirs worldwide.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Huge Freshwater Reservoir Found Hidden Under The Great Salt Lake
The Great Salt Lake is so named because of the salinity of its water, but a new study appears to have detected a huge reservoir of salt-free freshwater hiding underneath it. Researchers from the University of Utah deployed a helicopter to carry out an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey of part of the lake, covering parts of the Farmington Bay area along the south-eastern edge of the water. An AEM survey does two jobs: It detects electrical co…
Airborne geophysical imaging of freshwater reservoir beneath the eastern margin of Great Salt Lake - Scientific Reports
This paper presents the results of the pilot airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey conducted over a sector of Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, aimed at investigating the potential presence of a large freshwater reservoir beneath the lake —the largest inland saline water body in the Western Hemisphere. A 3D inversion of AEM data reveals a laterally extensive resistive layer underlying the lake’s highly conductive brine. This resistive un…
Eurek Alert
Scientific InquirerThe freshwater hidden beneath the Great Salt Lake
In a first of its kind breakthrough, University of Utah geophysicists used electromagnetic data from airborne surveys to characterize a newly discovered freshwater reservoir under the lake’s Farmington Bay.
Science Daily
ecotopical.comA massive freshwater reservoir is hiding under the Great Salt Lake
A hidden freshwater system deep beneath the Great Salt Lake has been revealed using airborne electromagnetic surveys. Scientists found that freshwater extends much farther under the lake than expected, reaching depths of up to 4 kilometers. The discovery began with mysterious reed-covered mounds formed by pressurized groundwater pushing upward. Researchers are now investigating whether this underground water could help control hazardous dust fro…
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