Definition: Geoantiquities are NATURAL ARCHIVES OF EARTH SYSTEM HISTORY, in which natural landscapes preserve material evidence of Earth-surface processes and environments that date from the geologically recent past. These are Late Quaternary deposits (clastic sediments, geochemical precipitates, and biochemical residues <0.9 million years old) that occur as lithofacies in sediment- landform associations, within alpine, montane, piedmont, lowland, and basin-floor landsystems.

Fig. 3. Geoantiquities form in different hydro- dynamic zones and land systems, shaped by different surficial processes (shown at left). Geoantiquities can occur nearly any place and setting, but this study focuses on well-exposed and important examples in the Great Basin, which can serve as a model for other regions.

Fig. 4. A. Lake Bonneville was the largest Pleistocene lake within the Basin and Range physiographic province of the western U.S. The lake formed during marine oxygen isotope stage 2 (30-10 ka), and was over 300 m deep at its highest lake level (Bonneville shoreline level). Prominent shorelines formed throughout its history and gave rise to deltas, bars, spits, shorelines, and more. The Provo shoreline forms a prominent bench, due to a rapid lake level drop when the lake flooded northward into the Snake River Plain. B. The Great Salt Lake is the shrunken remains of Lake Bonneville. These classic landscape expressions were described by prominent geologist G. K. Gilbert (1890). There are few areas worldwide today that can rival these geoantiquities, in terms of size, form, definition, and scientific value for paleoclimate and sediment transport proxies.

Fig. 5. Geoantiquities must compete with urbanization. Current land use (above) is shown in an area of high concentration of geoantiquities. Map area covers ~ 40 x 80 km area on the east side of the Great Salt Lake. Map taken from: QGET.