Find Out What Has Been Bubbling Under the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake has been shrinking over the last couple of decades. As the water recedes, scientists have found new features. This professor from the University of Utah found something no one expected below this salty lake. 

Mounds Covered in Reeds Appearing Where Water Once Covered 

On the southeast shore of the Great Salt Lake where the water has receded have revealed something other than barren salt encrusted ground. Instead, there are mounds with plants growing from them. 

Bill Johnson is a geologist with the University of Utah. He has been studying the mounds and has discovered there is something under the salty lake that was surprising. The mounds have springs where fresh water is bubbling up. 

Studying the area using surface penetrating technology, Johnson thinks there is water that flows underneath the surface from the mountains. This discovery could provide a possible solution for some of the problems with the receding waters. 

Freshwater Springs Could Cultivate Ground Cover 

The recent discovery shows the potential of using this underground water to regenerate the exposed salt beds. This could keep the dust from blowing in the wind and into population centers. 

Johnson sees the potential but warns that we need to understand what is happening under the lake before trying to tap this resource. The state is providing funding and other geologists to find out how much and what that freshwater looks like. 

Read More: Jellyfish Spotted in Lake Powell

This is encouraging news for the lake and those who make their home around it.