The salt is thinning as climate change drags the West into its third decade of drought, yet it's unclear how that affects the seasonal flood patterns the landscape relies on to maintain its size and footprint. This is because other human activities – such as taking other kinds of minerals and driving racecars – also have effects on the land.Ī visitor to Bonneville Salt Flats poses for photographs Saturday, Oct. Still, scientists say that there is no hard evidence that paying the mining company to return water to the area will solve the issue.

Scientists largely agree that years of aquifer use by nearby potash mining has been one cause behind the problem. Research has shown that the salty water in the aquifer – the layer of rock or sand that holds water below the flats - is decreasing quickly. Recently, race organizers had to cancel “Speed Week” events scheduled for this autumn after the Salt Flats flooded and left racers without enough space to drive on.

But racers say it is difficult to find a space long enough to reach record speeds like they did many years ago. The Salt Flats has a special ground that keeps car tires cool at high speeds and provides a perfect surface for racing. And the area of the Salt Flats has shrunk to about half of its largest size in 1994. In the last 60 years, the ground has become thinner by about one-third. Those who love the area are demanding changes to save it. The area has served as a place for racers to set land speed world records and for filmmakers to make movies like Independence Day and The World’s Fastest Indian.īut the ground of the area is growing thinner and thinner. The area is so flat that on some days, people say they can see the curvature of the Earth. The Bonneville Salt Flats is a famous area of white salt crystals in the American state of Utah.

Utah salt flats racing