The salt crust of Utah’s famous Bonneville Salt Flats is shrinking and thinning. Land-speed enthusiasts have been deeply disappointed at the cancellation of events due to inadequate salt crust. Some blame decades of salt mining. Geologist Brenda Bowen is looking at human and environmental factors in the context of geologic change and ecological evolution in order to understand the causes of this change. See these links for more:

• Preliminary research suggests Bonneville Salt Flats are in decline — and there’s no easy fix – Salt Lake Tribune

• Scientists Try To Solve The Puzzle Of The Shrinking Salt Flats Crust – KUER