Economy

Utah prospered economically during the first two decades of the 20th century. The state became an important livestock center, with large herds of cattle and sheep. New railroads continued to be built and expanded throughout the state. The inauguration of a gigantic US government project in the state in 1913 dramatically expanded Utah’s arable area. Copper mining became one of the main sources of income for the state, and various steel mills were established in the region. See topschoolsintheusa for high school codes in Utah.

Beginning in the early 1900s, with the establishment of national parks such as Bryce Canyon and Zion, Utah began to become known for its natural beauty. Southern Utah became a popular filming point for arid, rugged scenes, and natural landscapes such as Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Arches National Park and Monument Valley’s Mittens are instantly recognizable by most national residents. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with the construction of the US Interstate Highway Network, accessibility to southern scenic areas became easier.

The main mining products extracted in the state are copper, oil — concentrated in the east of the state — 47 and uranium. Approximately 95% of the electricity generated in the state is produced in coal-fired thermoelectric plants. The rest is produced mainly in hydroelectric plants.

Curiosities

• Utah is the only place in the United States where four states of the Union
• The lowest recorded temperature in Utah was -56 ° C, at Peter’s Sink, on February 1, 1985

Great Salt Lake (Utah)

Great Salt Lake. It is located in the northwest of the state of Utah, United States and is the largest terminal lake in North America. As it does not have an outlet, it loses water by evaporation, leaving saline minerals and high concentrations of salts in it. It has an area of ​​4,400 km².

Characteristics

It is relatively shallow (between 4.9 and 10 meters deep), has a low bottom gradient and is very extensive; which makes the climatic conditions vary and also the use of water. The area of ​​the lake in extension has been oscillating between 246,000 and 621,000 hectares (607,880 – 1,536,010 acres). The elevated rock transport routes divide the GLS into four bays, making each of these bays present its own physical, chemical and biological characteristics; making these unique aquatic environments.

Salinity

The salinity of the lake is highly variable and depends on the level of the lake; the salt concentration range is from 5% to 27%. Most of the salt is dissolved in the lake and deposited on the desert floor due to evaporation. The ionic composition is similar to sea water, these waters are slightly enriched each year with potassium and it is depleted in calcium. Generally speaking, the salinity graduations of the four bays vary from areas of fresh water, to others twice as salty as ocean water and others that are completely saturated with salt.

Geography

The GLS is located in a cold and desert environment, characterized by droughts, sparse and small vegetation and tolerant to salt. Surrounding the lake are rocky shores, beaches, salt marshes and extensive swamps that are approximately more than 162,000 hectares (400,000 acres) of freshwater wetlands, more than 75% of the entire State of Utah.

The landscape of the lake, presents natural and artificial habitats of high and low depth, with wet meadows, flooded crop fields and riparian corridors.

The wetlands are concentrated around the rivers and streams of the deltas that extend along the GLS, along the coasts that are wrapped between the north and south of the lake. Protected wetlands include the Rio del Oso Migratory Bird Refuge, which is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department for Land Management Areas and Wildlife Habitats; eleven areas of the state that are run by the Department of Wildlife Management, three state parks that are private refuges which are run by The Nature Conservancy, the Audubon society and others; and numerous privately owned duck hunting clubs. Likewise, there are two main industries that use the resources of the GLS.

The company to extract its own minerals and the leasing of a large part of the lake’s swamps for the evaporation of lagoons, in order to produce salt, de-icing salts, sulfates such as potash fertilizers and metallic magnesium. Second, the Skim Cysts companies that grow Artemia salina (crustaceans) from the lake and sell them around the world for use as feed in the aquaculture production of table fish and shrimp.

Ecosystem

There are two species of halophilic invertebrates, the Artemia salina (Crustacean) and some dipteros of the Ephydridae family, which complete the reign in the saltwater ecosystem providing an abundant food resource for birds. In the freshwater bays there are aquatic insects of the Corixidae family and chironomids (mosquitoes) that are the main source of food.

More than 1.4 million shorebirds use the Great Salt Lake for breeding and passage areas, such as the Phalaropus tricolor, the Recurvirostra americana, and the Mantopus mexicanus off the GLS shores.