Great Salt Lake

Great Salt Lake, shallow saline inland sea in the northwestern region of Utah, about 5 mi (8 km) northwest of Salt Lake City. Its size and depth vary yearly, but on average the lake is 72 mi (116 km) long and 30 mi (48 km) across at its widest point, with a maximum depth of 270 ft (82 m). It is the largest brine lake in North America. Industrial plants along the shore extract some 300,000 tons of salt from the lake every year, and plans are under way for tapping other mineral resources.