Scientists at the University of Utah have mapped a hidden ice reservoir beneath Mount Timpanogos, revealing 1.55 million cubic meters of ice—enough to fill 600 Olympic pools—while a separate study identified a potential freshwater reservoir under the Great Salt Lake, using airborne surveys to detect underground water systems.
Mapping the Hidden Ice Core
Researchers from the University of Utah and the Utah Geological Survey have uncovered a massive ice reservoir beneath Timpanogos Rock Glacier, a lumpy rock pile in the Wasatch Mountains. Using gravity measurements, they determined the glacier contains 83% ice, with the remaining 17% being rock debris. The ice core, up to 55 meters thick, holds 1.55 million cubic meters of frozen water—equivalent to the volume of the largest pyramid at Giza in Egypt. This discovery, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, challenges previous assumptions about the region’s water storage capacity.
The team employed a gravimeter to detect density differences between ice and rock, taking 232 readings across the glacier in 2024. There’s a lot of ice that’s hidden in Utah’s mountains,
said Leif Anderson, a glaciology professor. When we are high in the mountains and walking across loose rocks or rubble, you don’t realize there could be 120 feet of ice buried beneath your feet.
Unveiling the Great Salt Lake’s Underground Freshwater
A separate study published in Scientific Reports identified a potential freshwater reservoir beneath the Great Salt Lake using airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys. The research found a resistive layer beneath the lake’s saline surface, suggesting freshwater-saturated sediments extend into deeper basins. This discovery could reshape understanding of the lake’s groundwater systems, which are critical for managing water resources in a drought-prone region.
The survey, conducted over 248 kilometers of flight lines in a single day, detected a layer of freshwater beneath the lake. When I first realized we found this, I was very excited,
Zhdanov said. The team hypothesized that groundwater from the surrounding mountains, recharged by snowmelt, seeps into the lakebed and accumulates in porous sediments. The question was, where does this water come from? And the hypothesis was that it’s underground water from the surrounding mountains,
he added.
Implications for Water Management and Climate Research
The findings underscore the complexity of Utah’s water systems and the need for advanced monitoring technologies. Rock glaciers like Timpanogos could represent a significant, yet overlooked, freshwater resource. There is a large contrast in mass density between the rock that makes up Mount Timpanogos and the much lower density ice that is in the rock glacier adjacent to it,
said Michael Thorne, a geophysics professor. When we measure the gravitational acceleration over the rock glacier, we see a larger decrease in that gravitational acceleration as we make measurements over areas with thicker ice.
Researchers plan to validate the Great Salt Lake’s findings with additional surveys, while the Timpanogos team aims to refine their gravity-based modeling for global applications. Both projects underscore the role of technology in uncovering Earth’s hidden systems. As Bronson Cvijanovich noted, When we are high in the mountains and walking across loose rocks or rubble, you don’t realize there could be 120 feet of ice buried beneath your feet.
For now, the discoveries offer a glimpse into Utah’s subterranean water systems, with potential implications for regional water policy, ecological conservation, and climate resilience. As studies like these advance, they may redefine how humanity interacts with the planet’s most critical and least visible resources.
