Great Salt Lake

Continental spring carbonates, such as travertines and tufa developed at groundwater resurgences, together with lacustrine microbialites are currently an important focus of research, especially with regard to the understanding of the abiotic, microbial (biotic) and/or hybrid origin of carbonates. Great Salt Lake (Utah, US) forms an excellent case study to understand the interaction between those different types of continental carbonates, their biotic/abiotic nature and the effect of internal and external environmental change on the development of those systems. Especially the outcrops at Lakeside provide access to a unique case where the lake margin system has been preserved all the way from the alkaline fluid feeder system to travertine and tufa precipitation until the formation of lacustrine microbial carbonates.