77-577: The Goose Creek Mountains are a mountain range in Box Elder County , Utah . They are also partly in Elko County, Nevada . It is the least topographically prominent of Utah's peaks with more than 609.6 ft (2000 ft) of prominence. This article about a location in Utah is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Box Elder County, Utah Box Elder County
154-558: A graduate or professional degree . As of the 2010 census , there were 49,975 people, 16,058 households, and 12,891 families in the county. The population density was 8.70 people per square mile (3.36 people/km ). There were 17,326 housing units at an average density of 3.02 units per square mile (1.17 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 91.77% White , 0.34% Black or African American , 0.82% Native American , 0.89% Asian , 0.17% Pacific Islander , 3.77% from other races , and 2.24% from two or more races. 8.31% of
231-475: A 10-mile (16 km) access road between the town of Lakeside and the pumping station. This pumping project was designed to increase the surface area of the Great Salt Lake and thus increase the rate of water evaporation. The pumps drove some of the water of the Great Salt Lake into the 320,000 acres (1,300 km ) Newfoundland Evaporation Basin in the desert west of the lake. A weir in the dike at
308-532: A bowl of toxic dust, poisoning the air around Salt Lake City Environmentalists proposed establishing a level of 4,200 ft (1,300 m) above sea level as an official state policy, among other interventions. University of Utah researchers proposed a level between 4,198 and 4,205 feet. A non-binding resolution in the state legislature to adopt 4,198 feet was voted down and governor Spencer Cox called it "dumb". The Great Salt Lake lends its name to Salt Lake City , originally named "Great Salt Lake City" by
385-485: A deep brine layer there. Although brine shrimp can be found in the arm of the lake north of the causeway, studies conducted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources indicate that these are likely transient. Populations of brine shrimp are mostly restricted to the lake's south arm. In the two bays that receive most of the lake's freshwater inflows, Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay, the diversity of organisms
462-555: A large federal bird refuge on the Great Salt Lake's shores. Wetland/wildlife management areas include the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge ; Gillmor Sanctuary; Great Salt Lake Shore lands Preserve; Salt Creek, Public Shooting Grounds, Harold Crane, Locomotive Springs , Ogden Bay, Timpie Springs, and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Areas. Several islands in the lake provide critical nesting areas for various birds. Access to Hat, Gunnison, and Cub islands
539-457: A larger number of birds, the advisories were revised and another was added for cinnamon teal . Seven other species of duck were studied and found to have levels of mercury below EPA guidelines, thus being determined safe to eat. A study in 2010 suggested that the main source of the mercury is from atmospheric deposition from worldwide industry, rather than local sources. As water levels rise and fall, mercury accumulation does as well. About 16% of
616-461: A peninsula in another, or an island in a low water year may be covered during another year. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Geological Survey , "there are eight named islands in the lake that have never been totally submerged during historic time. All have been connected to the mainland by exposed shoals during periods of low water." In addition to these eight islands,
693-452: A possible tourist attraction. Pink Floyd was last seen in Idaho, in the area of Camas National Wildlife Refuge in 2005. During a survey in the mid-1990s, U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers discovered a high level of methylmercury in the Great Salt Lake with 25 nanograms per liter of water. For comparison, a fish consumption advisory was issued at
770-450: A single person living alone and 587 (3.1%) were two or more people living together. 7,722 (41.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 14,543 (77.9%) of households were owner-occupied while 4,135 (22.1%) were renter-occupied . The median income for a Box Elder County household was $ 63,573 and the median family income was $ 73,446, with a per-capita income of $ 25,835. The median income for males that were full-time employees
847-618: Is a county at the northwestern corner of Utah , United States. At the 2020 census , the population was 57,666, up from the 2010 figure of 49,975. Its county seat and largest city is Brigham City . The county was named for the box elder trees that abound in the county. Box Elder County is part of the Ogden - Clearfield , UT Metropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Salt Lake City - Provo - Orem , UT Combined Statistical Area . Box Elder County. Box Elder County
SECTION 10
#1732780863034924-564: Is home to two regional campuses of Utah State University (located in Brigham City and Tremonton ). The county was created by the Utah Territory legislature on January 5, 1856, with the territory partitioned from Weber County . Its boundaries were altered in 1862 by adjustments between counties and in 1866 when all its area in the now-existent state of Nevada (which had gained territorial status in 1861 and statehood in 1864)
1001-403: Is much higher. Salinities in these bays can approach that of fresh water when the spring snow melt occurs, and this allows a variety of bacteria, algae and invertebrates to proliferate in the nutrient-rich water. The abundance of invertebrates such as gnat larvae ( chironomids ) and back swimmers (Trichocorixa) are fed upon extensively by the huge shorebird and waterfowl populations that utilize
1078-574: Is strictly limited by the State of Utah in an effort to protect nesting colonies of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). The islands within the Great Salt Lake also provide habitat for lizard and mammalian wildlife and a variety of plant species. Some species may have been extirpated from the islands. For example, a number of explorers who visited the area in the mid-1800s (e.g. Emmanuel Domenech , Howard Stansbury , Jules Rémy ) noted an abundance of yellow-flowered "onions" on several of
1155-731: Is the fourth-largest county in Utah by area. In the east lie the Wellsville Mountains , a branch of the Wasatch Range . In the west is a large, mostly uninhabited desert area. The Great Salt Lake lies in the southeastern corner of the county. The combined Interstate 15 / Interstate 84 runs northward in the eastern part of the county. The two routes diverge at Tremonton , with I-84 heading northwest past Snowville into central and western Idaho and I-15 heading north past Plymouth and Portage into eastern Idaho. According to
1232-636: The 2020 United States census and 2020 American Community Survey , there were 57,666 people in Box Elder County with a population density of 10.0 people per square mile (3.9/km ). Among non- Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 49,361 (85.6%) White , 161 (0.3%) African American , 383 (0.7%) Native American , 438 (0.8%) Asian , 98 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 102 (0.2%) from other races , and 1,586 (2.8%) from two or more races . 5,537 (9.6%) people were Hispanic or Latino. There were 29,190 (50.62%) males and 28,476 (49.38%) females, and
1309-480: The Florida Everglades after water there was found to contain 1 nanogram per liter. The extremely high methylmercury concentrations have been only in the lake's anoxic deep brine layer ( monimolimnion ) below a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m), but concentrations are also moderately high up in the water column where there is oxygen to support brine shrimp and brine flies. The toxic metal shows up throughout
1386-575: The Southern Pacific Railroad as a replacement to a previously built wooden trestle, which was the major component of the Lucin Cutoff . The route is now owned and operated by Union Pacific . About 15 trains cross the 20 mi (32 km) causeway each day. Prior to December 2, 2016, the causeway constrained the flow of water between northern and southern arms, which has a significant impact on various industries surrounding
1463-599: The Wasatch Mountains , but land around the north and west shores is almost uninhabited. The Bonneville Salt Flats are to the west, and the Oquirrh and Stansbury Mountains rise to the south. The Great Salt Lake is fed by three major rivers and several minor streams. The three major rivers are each fed directly or indirectly from the Uinta Mountain range in northeastern Utah. The Bear River starts on
1540-590: The first transcontinental railroad occurred at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. The Spiral Jetty , an earthwork sculpture by Robert Smithson , was built on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake in Box Elder County in 1970. On November 19, 2005, sculptor Zaq Landsberg declared his plot to be independent from the United States, creating the Republic of Zaqistan . Box Elder County lies at
1617-597: The ice ages of the Pleistocene Epoch . Lake Bonneville existed until about 16,800 years ago, when a large portion of the lake was released through the Red Rock Pass in Idaho , resulting in cataclysmic floods . With the warming climate, the remaining lake began to dry , leaving the Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake , Sevier Lake , and Rush Lake behind. There are several maps dating back to 1575 that show
SECTION 20
#17327808630341694-526: The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Brigham Young , who led a group of Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley southeast of the lake on July 24, 1847. The lake lies in parts of five counties: Box Elder , Davis , Tooele , Weber , and Salt Lake . Salt Lake City and its suburbs are located to the south-east and east of the lake, between the lake and
1771-698: The 1980s caused a large amount of property damage for owners on the eastern side of the Great Salt Lake, and the water started to erode the base of Interstate 80 . In response, the State of Utah built the West Desert Pumping Project on the western side of the lake. It began operation on April 10, 1987. This project consists of a pumping station at Hogup Ridge , containing three pumps with a combined capacity of moving 1,500,000 US gallons per minute (95 m /s), an inlet canal, and an outlet canal. Also, there are 25 miles (40 km) of dikes and
1848-532: The Dead Sea's water; compared to the ocean, the Great Salt Lake's waters are slightly enriched in potassium and depleted in calcium . Dissolved ions do not necessarily increase or decrease in step with changes of total dissolved solids. For example, in October 1903, dissolved solids tallied 27.72% and by February 1910 they were down to 17.68%, with chlorine, sodium and sulfate levels substantially lower, but over
1925-487: The Great Salt Lake at the correct latitude and longitude, within an accuracy of a few degrees. One example is a map by Nicolas Sanson dated 1650. The Great Salt Lake entered written history through the records of Silvestre Vélez de Escalante , who learned of its existence from the Timpanogos Utes in 1776. No European name was given to it at the time, and it was not shown on the map by Bernardo Miera y Pacheco ,
2002-399: The Great Salt Lake ever rises that high again. Drought conditions, climate change , and the overuse of snowmelt have caused the Great Salt Lake to shrink considerably. As of July 2022, the Great Salt Lake occupies approximately 950 square miles (2,500 km ). In 1987, it occupied about 3,300 square miles (8,500 km ). As of March 2023, the lake's highest recorded surface elevation
2079-556: The Great Salt Lake. On some maps, the two names were used synonymously. In time, "Timpanogos" was dropped from the maps and its original association with Utah Lake was forgotten. In 1824, it was observed, apparently independently, by Jim Bridger and Etienne Provost . Shortly thereafter, other trappers saw it and walked around it. Most of the trappers, however, were illiterate and did not record their discoveries. As oral reports of their findings made their way to those who did make records, some errors were made. In 1843, John C. Fremont led
2156-647: The Mormon community in Great Salt Lake City . Beginning in November 1895, artist and author Alfred Lambourne spent a year living on the remote Gunnison Island , where he wrote a book of musing and poetry, Our Inland Sea . From November 1895 to March 1896, he was alone. In March, a few guano sifters arrived to harvest and sell the guano of the nesting birds as fertilizer . Lambourne included musings about these guano sifters in his work. Lambourne left
2233-511: The NW corner of the county slopes to the north, allowing runoff from that area to flow to the Snake River drainage . The county's highest point is a mountain ridge near the NW corner, at 9,180 ft (2,800 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 6,729 square miles (17,430 km ), of which 5,746 square miles (14,880 km ) is land and 984 square miles (2,550 km ) (15%) is water. It
2310-577: The Valley, and it was supplying salt to the settlers within a month. The lake was comprehensively surveyed for the first time in 1850 under the leadership of Howard Stansbury (Stansbury discovered and named the Stansbury mountain range and Stansbury island). Stansbury also published a formal report of his survey work which became very popular. His report of the area included a discussion of Mormon religious practices based on Stansbury's interaction with
2387-418: The air above it. During summer, the temperature differences can cause thunderstorms to form over the lake and drift eastward along the northern Wasatch Front . Some rainstorms may also be partially attributed to the lake effect in fall and spring. It is estimated that approximately six to eight lake effect snowstorms occur in a year, and that 10% of the average precipitation of Salt Lake City can be attributed to
Goose Creek Mountains - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-476: The amount is much less than the relict salt from Bonneville. The salinity of the lake's main basin, Gilbert Bay, is highly variable and depends on the lake's level; it ranges from 5 to 27% (50 to 270 parts per thousand ). For comparison, the average salinity of the world ocean is 3.5% (35 parts per thousand) and that of the Dead Sea is 33.7%. The ionic composition is similar to seawater, much more so than
2541-816: The birds which migrate to the lake. However, the fresh- and salt-water wetlands along the eastern and northern edges of the Great Salt Lake provide critical habitat for millions of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl in western North America. These marshes account for approximately 75% of the wetlands in Utah. Some of the birds that depend on these marshes include: Wilson's phalarope , red-necked phalarope , American avocet , black-necked stilt , marbled godwit , snowy plover , western sandpiper , long-billed dowitcher , tundra swan , American white pelican , white-faced ibis , California gull , eared grebe , peregrine falcon , bald eagle , plus large populations of various ducks and geese . There are twenty-seven private duck clubs, seven state waterfowl management areas, and
2618-409: The cartographer for the expedition. Escalante had been on the shores of Utah Lake , which he named Laguna Timpanogos. It was the larger of the two lakes that appeared on Miera's map. Other cartographers followed his lead and charted Lake Timpanogos as the largest (or larger) lake in the region. As people became aware of the Great Salt Lake, they interpreted the maps to think that "Timpanogos" referred to
2695-539: The county selected the Democratic Party candidate, and the last Democrat to obtain one-quarter of the county's vote was Hubert Humphrey in 1968. Great Salt Lake The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon
2772-450: The decadal-scale wet/dry cycles that characterize the region. By capturing these climate oscillations as well as utilizing the tree-ring reconstruction of lake level change, researchers were able to predict the lake level fluctuation onward for as long as 5–8 years. The Great Salt Lake differs in elevation between the south and north parts. The causeway for the Lucin Cutoff divides the lake into two parts. The water-surface elevation of
2849-578: The east edge of the lake. The Jordan River does not receive its water directly from the Uintas; rather, it flows from freshwater Utah Lake , which itself is fed primarily by the Provo River . The Provo River does originate in the Uintas, a few miles from the Weber and Bear. The Jordan flows from the north part of Utah Lake into the south-east corner of the Great Salt Lake. Due to the lake's shallowness,
2926-602: The fall and early winter. They are fed to prawns in Asia, sold as novelty " Sea-Monkeys ," sold either live, frozen, or dehydrated in pet stores as a fish food, and used in testing of toxins, drugs, and other chemicals. There are also two species of brine fly , as well as protozoa, rotifers, bacteria and algae. Salinity differences between the sections of the lake separated by the railroad causeway result in significantly different biota. A phytoplankton community dominated by green algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) tint
3003-547: The first scientific expedition to the lake, but with winter coming on, he did not take the time to survey the entire lake. Fremont's glowing reports of the area were published shortly after his expedition, and they influenced the choice of Brigham Young and other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to settle in the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. Young visited the lake three days after arriving in
3080-508: The island early in the winter of 1896 along with the first group of guano sifters. In the early 1930s, there was a project to dam off a third of the lake with dikes on the east side north of Salt Lake City to make a freshwater reservoir for drinking and irrigation. The project was abandoned before it got beyond the planning stage. The causeway across the lake was built in the 1950s by the Morrison-Knudsen construction company for
3157-501: The islands of the Great Salt Lake. Because of the Great Salt Lake's high salinity, it has few fish , but they do occur in Bear River Bay and Farmington Bay when spring runoff brings fresh water into the lake. A few aquatic animals live in the lake's main basin, including centimeter-long brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana). Their tiny, hard-walled eggs or cysts (diameter about 200 micrometers) are harvested in quantity during
Goose Creek Mountains - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-474: The islands, which they identified as Calochortus luteus . This species today occurs only in California; however, at that time the name C. luteus was applied to plants that later were named C. nuttallii A yellow-flowered Calochortus was first named as a variety of C. nuttallii but was later separated into a new species, C. aureus . This species occurs in Utah today, though apparently no longer on
3311-454: The lake also contains a number of rocks, reefs, or shoals that become fully or partially submerged at high water levels. The Utah Geological Survey states "the lake contains 11 recognized islands, although this number varies depending on the level of the lake. Seven islands are in the southern portion of the lake and four in the northwestern portion." The size and whether they are counted as islands during any particular year depends mostly on
3388-500: The lake effect. Because of its high salt concentration, the lake water is unusually dense , and most people can float more easily than in other bodies of water, particularly in Gunnison Bay, the saltier north arm of the lake. Water levels have been recorded since 1875, averaging about 4,200 feet (1,300 m) above sea level . Since the Great Salt Lake is a shallow lake with gently sloping shores around all edges except on
3465-401: The lake had dropped by nearly six feet (1.8 meters) since reaching its peak levels during June 1986 and March 1987. The Utah Division of Water Resources credits the project with "over one-third of that decline". In total, the pumps removed 2,730,000 acre-feet (3.37 km ) of water while they operated. Although the pumps are no longer in use, they have been kept in place in case the level of
3542-411: The lake had risen due to spring runoff, and the north-western arm was within 1 foot (30 cm) of the southern arm. Categorically stating the number of islands is difficult, as the method used to determine what is an island is not necessarily the same in each source. Since the water level of the lake can vary greatly between years, what may be considered an island in a high water year may be considered
3619-439: The lake has no outlet besides evaporation , these minerals accumulate and give the lake high salinity (far saltier than seawater ) and density. This density causes swimming in the lake to feel similar to floating . The lake has been called "America's Dead Sea " and provides a habitat for millions of native birds, brine shrimp , shorebirds , and waterfowl , including the largest staging population of Wilson's phalarope in
3696-465: The lake into the nearby desert. In 2021, after years of sustained drought and increased water diversion upstream of the lake, it fell to its lowest recorded area at 950 square miles (2,500 km ), falling below the previous low set in 1963. The lake's three major tributaries, the Jordan , Weber , and Bear rivers together deposit around 1.1 million tons of minerals in the lake per year. Since
3773-452: The lake level fluctuation onward for 5–8 years. The Utah Climate Center provides prediction of the Great Salt Lake's annual lake level. This forecast uses central tropical Pacific Ocean temperature, watershed precipitation, tree-ring data of 750+ years, and the lake level itself. A railroad line – the Lucin Cutoff – runs across the lake, crossing the southern end of Promontory Peninsula . The mostly solid causeway supporting
3850-425: The lake – then in the middle of many years of recession – would virtually disappear except for a small remnant between the islands. A 2014 study used tree rings collected in the watershed of the Great Salt Lake to create a 576-year record of lake level reconstruction. The lake level change is strongly modulated by Pacific Ocean-coupled ocean/atmospheric oscillations at low frequency and therefore reflects
3927-406: The lake's food chain, from brine shrimp to eared grebes and cinnamon teal. The finding of high mercury levels prompted further studies, and a health advisory warning hunters not to eat common goldeneye or northern shoveler , two species of duck found in the lake. It has been stated that this does not pose a risk to other recreational users of the lake. After later studies were conducted with
SECTION 50
#17327808630344004-432: The lake's western shore. The lake is deepest in the area between these island chains, measured by Howard Stansbury in 1850 at about 35 feet (11 meters) deep, and an average depth of 13 feet (four meters). When the water levels are low, Antelope Island becomes connected to the shore as a peninsula , as do Goose Islands, Browns Island, and some of the other islands. Stansbury Island and Strongs Knob remain peninsulas unless
4081-511: The lake. Fish in these bays are fed upon by diving terns and pelicans. A solitary Chilean flamingo , named Pink Floyd after the English rock band , wintered at the Great Salt Lake. He escaped from Salt Lake City's Tracy Aviary in 1987 and lived in the wild, eating brine shrimp and socializing with gulls and swans . A group of Utah residents suggested petitioning the state to release more flamingos in an effort to keep Floyd company and as
4158-461: The lake. It is typically heaviest in Tooele County to the east, and north into central Davis County , and can deposit excessive snowfall amounts, generally within a narrow band which is highly-dependent on the direction the wind is blowing. The lake-effect snowfalls are more likely to occur in late fall, early winter and spring, due to the higher temperature differences between the lake and
4235-508: The lake. The construction of a 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge created an opening of the causeway for water to flow between the arms of the lake. Willard Bay , also known as Willard Bay Reservoir or Arthur V. Watkins Reservoir, is a freshwater reservoir completed in 1964, which separated, drained, and subsequently filled with fresh water from the Weber River a portion of the Great Salt Lake's northeastern arm. Record high water levels in
4312-477: The level of the lake. From largest to smallest, they are Antelope Island , Stansbury Island , Fremont Island , Carrington Island , Dolphin Island, Cub Island , and Badger Island, and various named rocks, reefs, or shoals such as Strongs Knob, Gunnison Island , Goose, Browns, Hat (Bird), Egg Island, Black Rock, and White Rock. Dolphin Island, Cub Island, and Strongs Knob are in the northwestern arm. The rest are in
4389-443: The local climate , particularly through lake-effect snow . It is a remnant of Lake Bonneville , a prehistoric body of water that covered much of western Utah. The area of the lake can fluctuate substantially due to its low average depth of 16 feet (4.9 m). In the 1980s, it reached a historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500 km ), and the West Desert Pumping Project was established to mitigate flooding by pumping water from
4466-477: The mercury is from rivers, and 84% is from the atmosphere as an inorganic form, which is converted into more toxic methylmercury by bacteria which thrive in the more saline water of the North arm affected by the causeway. A 2020 study found high concentrations of mercury in the lake's sediments, a consequence from smelting and mining activities in the surrounding mountains. The mercury and other metals can contaminate
4543-560: The north slope of the Uintas and flows north past Bear Lake , into which some of Bear River's waters have been diverted via a man-made canal into the lake, but later empty back into the river by means of the Bear Lake Outlet. The river then turns south in southern Idaho and eventually flows into the northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake. The Weber River also starts on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains and flows into
4620-429: The northwest corner of Utah. Its west border abuts the east border of the state of Nevada and its north border abuts the south border of the state of Idaho . Its territory includes large tracts of barren desert, contrasted by high, forested mountains. The Wasatch Front lies along the south-eastern border, where the main cities are found. The terrain generally slopes to the south (toward the Great Salt Lake ), although
4697-550: The population distribution by age was 18,255 (31.7%) under the age of 18, 31,620 (54.8%) from 18 to 64, and 7,791 (13.5%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 33.0 years. There were 18,678 households in Box Elder County with an average size of 3.09 of which 14,609 (78.2%) were families and 4,069 (21.8%) were non-families. Among all families, 11,985 (64.2%) were married couples , 969 (5.2%) were male householders with no spouse, and 1,655 (8.9%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 3,482 (18.6%) were
SECTION 60
#17327808630344774-430: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 16,058 households, out of which 41.32% had children under 18 living with them, 67.44% were married couples living together, 8.69% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.72% were non-families. 17.16% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.39% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
4851-467: The railway divides the lake into three portions: the north-east arm, north-west arm, and southern. The causeway obstructed the normal mixing of the waters of the lake, because there were only three 100-foot (30 m) breaches. Because no rivers, except a few minor streams, flow directly into the north-west arm, Gunnison Bay , it is substantially saltier than the rest of the lake. This saltier environment promotes different types of algae from those growing in
4928-413: The same time calcium, magnesium and potassium increased , with the increase of magnesium especially pronounced. The high salinity in parts of the lake makes them uninhabitable for all but a few species, including brine shrimp , brine flies , nematodes , and several forms of algae . The brine flies have an estimated population of over one hundred billion and serve as the main source of food for many of
5005-443: The south part of the lake is usually 0.5 to 2 feet (15–61 cm) higher than that of the north part because most of the inflow to the lake occurs from the south. Most of the salts dissolved in the lake and deposited in the desert flats around it reflect the concentration of solutes by evaporation ; Lake Bonneville itself was fresh enough to support populations of fish. More salt is added yearly via rivers and streams, though
5082-400: The south side, small variations in the water level greatly affect the extent of the shoreline. The water level can rise dramatically in wet years and fall during dry years. The water level is also affected by the amount of water flow diverted for agricultural and urban uses. The Jordan and Weber rivers, in particular, are diverted for other uses. In the 1880s, Grove Karl Gilbert predicted that
5159-531: The southern end of the Newfoundland Mountains regulated the level of water in the basin and it sometimes returned salty water from the evaporation basin into the main body of the Great Salt Lake. At the end of their first year of operation, the pumps had removed about 500,000 acre-feet (620,000,000 m ) of water from the Great Salt Lake. The project was shut down in June 1989, as the level of
5236-418: The southern part of the lake, leading to a marked color difference on the two sides of the causeway. On December 1, 2016, the opening of a new 180-foot-long (55 m) bridge allowed water to flow from the southern arm of the lake into the north-west arm. At the time of opening of the causeway, the north-west arm was nearly 3 feet (90 cm) lower than the southern arm. By April 2017, the levels of both arms of
5313-622: The southern portion of the Great Salt Lake. Black Rock, Antelope Island, White Rock, Egg Island, Fremont Island, and the Promontory mountain range are each extensions of the Oquirrh Mountain Range , which dips beneath the lake at its southeastern shore. Stansbury, Carrington, and Hat Islands are extensions of the Stansbury mountain range, and Strongs Knob is an extension of the Lakeside Mountains which run along
5390-471: The water level can fall and rise dramatically during dry years or high-precipitation years, thereby reflecting prolonged drought or wet periods. The change in the level of lake level is strongly modulated by the Pacific Ocean through atmospheric circulations that fluctuate at low frequency. By capturing these climate oscillations while using tree-ring reconstruction of lake level, scientists can predict
5467-399: The water level rises well-above the average. Due to the warm waters of the Great Salt Lake, lake-effect snowfalls are frequent phenomena in the surrounding area. Cold north, north-west, or west winds generally blow across the lake following the passage of a cold front, and the temperature difference between the warm lake and the cool air can form clouds that lead to precipitation downwind of
5544-519: The water south of the causeway a greenish color. North of the causeway, the lake is dominated by Dunaliella salina , a species of algae which releases beta-carotene , and the bacteria-like haloarchaea , which together give the water an unusual reddish or purplish color. The dense, high-salinity water of the North Arm flows back through the causeway into the Southern portion of the lake, creating
5621-457: The world. The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of a much larger prehistoric lake called Lake Bonneville . At its greatest extent, Lake Bonneville spanned 22,400 square miles (58,000 km ), nearly as large as present-day Lake Michigan , and roughly ten times the area of the Great Salt Lake today. Bonneville reached 923 ft (281 m) at its deepest point and covered much of present-day Utah and small portions of Idaho and Nevada during
5698-432: Was $ 52,960 and for females $ 36,673. 7.9% of the population and 6.4% of families were below the poverty line . In terms of education attainment, out of the 32,717 people in Box Elder County 25 years or older, 2,325 (7.1%) had not completed high school , 9,937 (30.4%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 12,701 (38.8%) had some college or associate degree , 5,656 (17.3%) had a bachelor's degree , and 2,098 (6.4%) had
5775-534: Was 3.09, and the average family size was 3.50. The county population contained 36.60% under the age of 20, 5.55% from 20 to 24, 25.37% from 25 to 44, 21.35% from 45 to 64, and 11.13% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.59 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 96.61 males. As of 2015, the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Box Elder County were: Box Elder voters are overwhelmingly Republican. In no national election since 1944 has
5852-407: Was 4,211.2 feet (1,283.6 m) For comparison, on April 15, 1987; the lowest recorded surface elevation was 4,188.5 feet (1,276.7 m) on December 17, 2022. In 2023, scientists at Brigham Young University estimated that without policy changes, the lake would dry up in 2028, with local species killed off by overly salty water somewhat before that. Continued shrinkage could also turn the lake into
5929-459: Was formally partitioned. The county boundaries were finally altered in 1880 by adjustments between Salt Lake and Weber counties. Its boundary has remained unchanged since 1880. The California Trail followed Goose Creek from a point just north of the Idaho/Utah border southwest across northwestern Box Elder County to Little Goose Creek in northeastern Elko County, Nevada. The link-up of
#33966