In a report published Aug. 24, 2026, NASA Earth Observatory described how ancient Lake Bonneville, once nearly as large as Lake Michigan, left behind flat, mineral-rich playas and salt flats across much of western Utah and parts of Nevada and Idaho. The lake began forming about 55,000 years ago; about 18,000 years ago water breached a natural dam at Red Rock Pass, and lake levels dropped by more than 350 feet (105 meters) over a six-week period, the report said. Remnants include today’s Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake and Sevier Lake.

Landsat 8 imagery acquired June 4, 2026, shows shoreline terraces and pale dried lakebed, along with darker fault-block mountains such as the Silver Island Mountains, Newfoundland Mountains and Pilot Range. Bright evaporite deposits form salt flats, and potash mining evaporation ponds appear in the playa.

NASA said scientists and engineers testing the DAVINCI mission to Venus came to Crater Island in June 2026, calling it “Venus on Earth.” During helicopter-suspended rehearsals, the camera system took hundreds of images, and the team made three-dimensional maps consistent with existing geologic maps. The report also noted Mickey Thompson’s 1960 land-speed run of 406.60 miles per hour (654.36 kilometers per hour) and Andy Green’s August 2026 hydrogen-fueled record of 406.320 miles per hour (653.909 kilometers per hour).