Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Salt Lake Weirdness

Posted by Ian Brown, Monday, 10th November 2008

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There are lots of interesting and weird things to notice around Great Salt Lake, the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere.

First up, the western shore of the lake houses something that appears to belong in a ‘Trivial Pursuit for Giants’ game. It’s actually part of a magnesium plant which at one point was the highest emitter of toxic chemicals in the US.

Just to the north-west are assorted military facilities including bunker entrances and missile storage sites.

On the eastern shore, and on the salt flats, are facilities using the natural resource from the lake - salt farms and mines. Many others can be seen around the lake.

A couple of people with sharp eyes found this plane flying over the middle of the lake.

And one reader is convinced that this is a door to the netherworld.

Let us know what else you can find around Great Salt Lake.

Thanks to Ben, Alex Cleveland, Marty, Brian, Benjamin, James Adams, Nathan S, Graham Wall, Noknok, Leandra.

17 Responses to 'Salt Lake Weirdness'

  1. 1. Glenn says:

    Don’t forget the Spiral Jetty, previously mentioned in GSS:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  2. 2. Martin J Hooper says:

    The last picture looks to me like a strip mine of some sort. I’m no expert on mining but if you go really close up you can see regular patterns on the ground there.

  3. 3. nova72 says:

    Is this a small volcano?
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  4. 4. nova72 says:

    Here is a seventy car train.
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  5. 5. Fanoodle says:

    OMG It is a door to the netherworld

  6. 6. Dave says:

    The last picture is clearly the shadow of a planetary air shield, like the one around planet Druidia in Spaceballs.

  7. 7. Don H. says:

    Some kind of odd grid:
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    3 BIG targets?
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    Hundreds of bunkers?
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  8. 8. james says:

    nova72 over 90 percent of the hills are old volcanoes

  9. 9. james says:

    don the first 2 pics are old chem/bio weapon spray grids the last pic is the old storage area for the tooele army depot

  10. 10. james says:

    http://googlesightseeing.com/2006/07/17/dugway-proving-grounds/

  11. 11. Jel says:

    For those of an imaginative disposition, not far to the south-east is the Dugway Proving Grounds which appear to have associations both with aspects of the Star Wars program and Area 51…

  12. 12. Para says:

    On the salt flats, the land speed record course is here: Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    The track runs diagonally, SW to NE.

  13. 13. SG says:

    To the NW of the door to the netherworld:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  14. 14. Ned says:

    Some rather less threatening bunkers…

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    Fore!

  15. 15. Ned says:

    Also if you look to the right of the golf course, there’s a building (the 19th hole?) which looks uncannily like a stealth bomber - nice link to a year ago on googlesightseeing!

  16. 16. Ned says:

    Actually, looking at the buses outside it’s probably a school.

  17. 17. Eric says:

    Not that anyone is going to read this anytime soon, but I can verify that the third pic posted is a classic US Army Ammunition Storage Activity. everything is Earth Berm bunkers, with Storage, Surveillance, Maintenance and all the other appropriate areas.

    The “Bunker Entrances” would appear to be Jet Engine or Missile Engine testing sheds, at least that’s what I think they are….

    ~US Army Ordnance Officer

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