Where Did the Lake Go?

Where Did the Lake Go? (HM1AB5)

Location: West Wendover, NV 89883 Elko County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 50.711', W 114° 12.493'

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Inscription
Imagine Lake Bonneville some 10,000 years ago as a vast lake larger than the present Great Salt Lake. Its eastern boundary would be the Wasatch Mountains at Salt Lake City and its western boundary the Toano and Goshute Mountains to your left.

The last major glacial period in North America began about 23,000 years ago. During that time the water level of Lake Bonneville rose because of colder temperatures and a wetter climate. This freshwater lake was over 1,000 feet deep and covered 51,530 square miles - an area the size of Arkansas. If you were standing in this spot 15,000 years ago, you would be more than 500 feet underwater! Pilot Peak, the pyramid shaped mountain in front of you, was merely a small island surrounded by a freshwater lake teeming with fish.

About 14,500 years ago, water rushing through a break in a natural dam along Lake Bonneville's northern shore dropped the lake level over 300 feet in just a few months! These raging floodwaters deepened the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. A warmer and drier climate over the next 5,000 years slowly caused the lake to shrink even further. Look carefully at the surrounding hills, especially east toward Wendover. You can still see the beach terraces left at the different high water marks as the lake receded. The Great Salt Lake is all that remains of this once vast lake.
Details
HM NumberHM1AB5
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Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 at 1:09pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11T E 735355 N 4525322
Decimal Degrees40.84518333, -114.20821667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 50.711', W 114° 12.493'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 50' 42.66" N, 114° 12' 29.58" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)775
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3 Pilot Rd, West Wendover NV 89883, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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