Brenda Bowen and other scientists involved in a project to measure the thickness of the salt crust on the Bonneville Salt Flats will be making measurements of salt crust thickness the week of Sept. 5 using sonic coring. Members of the media are invited to observe the process on the morning of Sept. 6 between 9 and 11 a.m. only. Researchers will be engaged in intensive fieldwork throughout the week, and will only be able to accommodate media and stakeholder observation during the specified time. Bowen and her colleagues are engaged in a study funded by Intrepid Potash to assess the thickness of the salt crust on the flats, remnants of an ancient lake and site of multiple land speed records. Understanding the current condition of the Salt Flats, and how that condition has changed over time, will inform and aid efforts to manage the flats’ unique landscape. It is anticipated that the study will be completed in 2018.
End of Bonneville Speedway access road. Use Exit 4 on I-80, marked as Bonneville Speedway, 9-11 a.m.
Brenda Bowen, 801-585-5326, brenda.bowen@utah.edu