Our first views of the Tufa's .. Calcium carbonate formations which form in Mono Lake as springs bubble up from beneath. These should be in the lake bed, but the streams feeding Mono were diverted for LA water supply back in the 50's. A settlement has been reached to redirect that water to Mono, but the best hoped for date to restore the lake is 2024.
Comments
Also interesting that the negotiated target water level is far below what it was in 1950, I'm guessing because if the lake level were at its 1950 level, most of the tufas would be underwater and not visible to the money-spending tourist.
— John Hovell
We asked the guide if there were similar formations in the Great Salt Lake, just not visible. She didn't know. A very technical description at http://jsedres.sepmonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/70/5/1152 would imply that there are.
— Margaret Hovell