Airborne geophysical imaging of freshwater reservoir beneath the eastern margin of Great Salt Lake
Authors: M.S. Zhdanov, M. Jorgensen, L. Cox, W.P. Johnson, D.K. Solomon
Abstract
This paper presents the results of the pilot airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey conducted over a sector of Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, aimed at investigating the potential presence of a large freshwater reservoir beneath the lake —the largest inland saline water body in the Western Hemisphere. This is an especially challenging setting because conductive hypersaline brine can obscure deeper signals. The paper demonstrates that airborne geophysical survey effectively maps the saline–freshwater interface and delineates substantial geological and hydrogeological contrasts, providing robust evidence of the existence of freshwater-bearing rock formations beneath the Great Salt Lake.
