Great Salt Plains State Park, State park with salt flats and selenite crystals in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States
Great Salt Plains State Park is a natural area featuring extensive white salt deposits and selenite crystal formations in Oklahoma. The site contains a large lake, shoreline areas, trails, and zones where visitors can explore the mineral landscape.
The area formed millions of years ago when a vast sea covered Oklahoma and left behind salt deposits. These mineral layers remain visible today and define the park's distinctive landscape.
The salt flats are named for the layer of salt left by an ancient inland sea, replenished by a saline aquifer below. Since 1930 the adjacent refuge has drawn birdwatchers, and the flats are the only place where diggers can hunt hourglass selenite, a fragile gypsum crystal, from April 1 to October 15.
The park lies 8 miles north of Jet on SH-38 and 12 miles east of Cherokee. Personal watercraft are not recommended on the shallow lake, whose average depth is about 4 feet. Horse rental is not available, though equestrian trails exist. Bring water and sturdy shoes for the salt flats.
It is the only place on Earth where visitors can dig up naturally occurring hourglass-shaped selenite crystals. These special formations develop from the interaction of salt water and gypsum in this particular location.
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