Since You Asked - Salton Sea got its salt from marsh

Document text

Salton Sea got its salt from marsh I just read a story in the Mail Tribune about the salinity of the Salton Sea. The article said the sea was created in 1905 when a Colorado River canal broke and flooded the area where the sea now lies. Why is the sea salty? Does the Colorado River carry salt water? Does any fresh water flow into the sea? -- Christine G., Medford The salt in the Salton Sea came from the ground, Christine. The land now covered by the Salton Sea lies almost 100 feet below sea level, about 80 miles northeast of San Diego. It's part of the same arid trough that encompasses the Imperial and Coachella valleys. Sediments deposited long ago by the Colorado River isolated the trough from the Gulf of California. The land was a salt marsh before the Colorado River flooded it. The "sea" covered as much as 450 square miles when it was new, but much of the water evaporated after the river was steered back into its banks. The sea now covers an area about 30 miles long and 8 to 10 miles wide. A few tiny creeks that ran into the old salt marsh carry runoff from the surrounding mountains provide the only fresh water that runs into the sea. That doesn't amount to much water in Southern California's desert. ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] ) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA