2017 Map of South of Big Pass

About this map

The Great Salt Lake Desert dominates this section of western Utah, revealing a landscape defined by expansive salt flats and specialized industrial hydrology. This 2017 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey focuses on a stark environment within Tooele County, where natural desert features meet the Newfoundland Evaporation Basin. The grid patterns of the Public Land Survey System divide the terrain into townships such as t3n r14w and t2n r14w, illustrating how this seemingly empty space is formally organized for administrative and land management purposes. The topographic detail, though minimal in this flat basin, tracks the subtle shifts in elevation and water containment that characterize this portion of the Great Basin.