Strange Living Islands Have Appeared on The Great Salt Lake, And Now We Know Why

The appearance of strange 'islands' bristling with reeds on the drying playa of Utah's Great Salt Lake may finally have an explanation.

A vast, natural network of underground plumbing emerges from the depths, piping in fresh water that feeds mounds where plant life can thrive, according to extensive surveys conducted by scientists over several years.

This opens a new window into the lake's vast, complicated ecosystem that may help scientists learn how it works and how it might be preserved.

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"The last thing we wanted to do is for this to be characterized as a water resource we should be tapping," says geologist Bill Johnson of The University of Utah. "It's much more fragile than that, and we nee