Delta in Great Salt Lake Observed from Aloft
July 17, 2015
Photographer: Patrick Wiggins
Summary Author: Patrick Wiggins
Shown above is a delta on the southern side of Great Salt Lake, Utah. I fly over this delta several times a month and it seems it never looks as good when I have a camera with me as when I don't. But a few weeks ago with camera in hand, in the cockpit of my Cessna 172 (flying about 500 meters above the surface), I snapped this shot that comes pretty close to what my eyeballs see.
The delta is formed by a stream, about one kilometer in length, flowing northward into the Great Salt Lake. While not terribly impressive as seen at ground level, from the air the contrast of the colors of the riparian vegetation along the stream channel, the sediment-laden delta area, the barren desert and the blue lake water is definitely attention-getting, especially when the Sun's angle is just right. Photo taken on June 13, 2015.