2023 UGA Field Trip - Great Salt Lake and Bonneville Salt Flats

The 2023 UGA field trip, co-sponsored by the Utah Geological Survey, will provide a grand overview of issues related to Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwest Utah. The focus will be on the geology/hydrology of these systems, but will also include discussion of biological aspects (microbialites, wetlands, etc.), as well as human impacts to these fragile biogeochemical systems.

Day 1 – Circumnavigation of the South Arm of GSL

Trip leader: Michael Vanden Berg, UGS, with additional experts including Andrew Rupke (UGS; mineral
extraction), Elliot Jagniecki (UGS; mirabilite and lake chemistry), Becka Downard (UGS; wetlands), etc.

• GSL Marina, mirabilite springs and crystallization
• Pleistocene tufas/travertines and microbialites at Lakeside
• A trip across the railway causeway, stopping at the breach
• Promontory Point: “megapolygons”, microbialites, GSL’s mineral industry
• GSL Shorelands Preserve: wetlands, birds, plants, etc.

Day 2 – Bonneville Salt Flats

Trip leader: Jeremiah Bernau, formally UGS

• Knolls sand dunes
• Juke Box trench
• Juke Box Cave and Danger Cave
• Salt Flats
• Silver Island Mountains

Details

• Friday, October 20, and Saturday, October 21, 2023 (overnight accommodations are NOT included)
• 7:30 am to ~6:00 pm each day
• Start/end: Utah Core Research Center (UCRC) 240 Redwood Rd., Salt Lake City, UT 84116
• Continental breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, field trip guide, and transportation included.
• No discount for single-day participation
• Registration deadline – Friday, October 13 (Limit of 26 participants)
• Cancel by October 6 for full refund, by October 17 for 50% refund; no refund after October 17

Fees

• UGA Members – $120
• Non-UGA Members – $150 (includes 1-year UGA membership)
• Students (limit 10) – $20 (includes 1-year UGA student membership)