On 2/25/2014 7:47 AM, Brent Watson wrote:
The causeway you are looking at was built when I-80 was being constructed. Its purpose was to carry fill from the island for freeway construction. There was actually a belt carrier that brought materials from Antelope Island to the construction site along that causeway.
Now, as to the color change, it certainly would need to be another change in mineral content. There isn't much water added to the lake at the south end, and so the salinity must increase. The red color doesn't come from the minerals, but rather from a couple of species of algae and bacteria present in the water that thrive on the high salt content. That's my guess, anyway.
BTW, Robert Smithson chose the location for the Spiral Jetty because of the wine red color of the water in the north arm.
Brent, I was told the red color comes from the higher concentration of brine shrimp, esp. after the causeway was built. I do not know about algae, but as I said in an earlier post, I am going to inquire. As Dufus once said, "an inquiring publc has a right to know". 73