Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Great Salt Lake is the remnant of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, a vast freshwater lake that the U.S. Geological Survey describes as ten times larger than the modern lake. The comparison is approximate: Great Salt Lake’s area changes with water levels, and the USGS does not specify a shared measurement date or whether “size” refers to surface area or volume.
What was Lake Bonneville?
Lake Bonneville was a prehistoric freshwater lake that covered much of western Utah and extended into small parts of present-day Idaho and Nevada. The U.S. Geological Survey says its most recent expansion occurred between 23,000 and 12,000 years ago. Great Salt Lake is the surviving remnant of that ancient lake.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In a 2021 review, geologists Charles G. Oviatt, Genevieve Atwood, and Robert S. Thompson place the end of Lake Bonneville and the beginning of Great Salt Lake at about 13,000 years before present. That is an approximate geological boundary, not a precisely dated moment. The authors also caution that the evidence does not support a highly precise reconstruction of lake levels after Bonneville.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteHow much larger was it?
The USGS describes Lake Bonneville as ten times larger than Great Salt Lake. Treat that as a broad scale comparison rather than a calculation of exact area or volume: the agency’s overview does not state the measurement basis or a common date for the two lakes.
#1 Best Overall
- Used Book in Good Condition
For context, the same USGS overview reports that Great Salt Lake covered approximately 2,300 square miles at its 1986 high-water level. That is a historical measurement for that year, not a current area, and it should not be multiplied to produce an exact figure for Lake Bonneville.
Why is the modern lake salty?
Great Salt Lake is in a closed basin, meaning it has no outlet to the sea. Water can leave the lake through evaporation, but dissolved salts remain behind. Over time, that process helps explain why the remnant lake is saline even though Lake Bonneville was freshwater.
The USGS-authored review describes Great Salt Lake as “the largest hydrographically closed lake in the Bonneville basin of northwestern Utah.”
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesIs Great Salt Lake really “dead”?
No. “America’s Dead Sea” is a historical nickname, not a literal description of the lake’s ecosystem or a formal scientific name. A peer-reviewed 2018 review explains that the lake was once thought to be sterile, inspiring the nickname, but its brine supports microscopic life, including bacteria, archaea, algae, and protozoa.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Great Salt Lake and Lake Bonneville (2021)
- Oviatt, Atwood, and Thompson, USGS Publications Warehouse (2021)
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
