Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah is the region’s largest salt flat, a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville whose hard, level white surface comes from a vast deposit composed mostly of common table salt. Named by Grove Karl Gilbert for explorer Benjamin Bonneville, it gained modern fame in the early 20th century as a proving ground for speed, with the first land speed record set there in 1914 and many more following at Bonneville Speedway. The flats have also served archery, filmmaking, engineering, and even spacecraft recovery, while more recent concern has focused on thinning salt crust and efforts to restore brine to protect the racing surface.