"The Origins of Utah's Salt Flats"

Recent research using radiocarbon analysis has revealed that the Bonneville Salt Flats are much younger than previously believed, forming between 5,400 and 3,500 years ago, millennia after the ancient Lake Bonneville disappeared. The decline of the salt flats is attributed to declining groundwater caused by human disturbances, and efforts to flood the flats may be doing more harm than good. The findings suggest that the salt flats are an ephemeral feature of the Great Basin, and their disappearance may be inevitable due to climate change and human water demands.