Bruce Martin, age 11 of Phoenix, AZ, for His question:

What exactly is the Salton Sea?

The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked lake of salty water in southeastern California, It measures about 30 miles long and eight to 10 miles wide and the surface of its glittering blue water is 240 miles below sea level, It rests between rugged mountains in a trough which reaches south to the Gulf of California* Geologists think that in the past thin trough was part of the gulf  Its northern end may have been separated from the sea by piles of sand and silt dumped by the busy Colorado river 

The Colorado river has been controlled by irrigation for many years, About 50 years ago, it burst its man‑made controls and bled the low lying trough with a huge lake of flood water  When the river was brought under control, the lake shrank to its present size and its waters became salty,