Salton Sink

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The Salton Sink is located in Southeastern California near the Arizona border. The Salton Sea lies in the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink. Before 1905 this was a barren desert. In 1905 a levee broke on the Colorado River diverting water to the Salton Sink and making what is today the Salton Sea.

The Salton Sink is a result of the combined actions of the San Andreas Fault and the East Pacific Rise which are co-terminous with each other in this area. The actions of these plate boundary types has stretched the crust, thinning it and causing it to sink over geologic time. Consequently, earthquakes and hot springs are common to the region.