Great Divide Basin

The Great Divide Basin, also known as the Great Divide Closed Basin, is an endorheic basin located south of the state of Wyoming, United States, which forks the dividing line that separates the waters that go to the Pacific from those that go towards the Atlantic (Great Divide). It is a natural anticline, to the north and south in which the dividing line separates into two, all remaining between the two remains in an area where all precipitation evaporates or well infiltrates. Although it has grass, some scrubland and even trees in ravines, the land basically consists of sand dunes, ponds and saline plains because of the combination of low precipitation and high evaporation. The basin is 10,000 km² and its median height is 1,800 m above sea level.

Administratively it is under the supervision of the Uno. S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the Department of Interior specialized in the management and exploitation of territories that have not been declared neither national parks nor monuments. Location map of the "Great Divide Basin".

The basin is populated by several species of birds and certain mammals (pronghorn antelopes, wild horses, and occasional fawn). On the contrary human population is very scarce (less than 500 people), and no population of importance is found. Its great oil wealth and the suspicion that it can be a good place to establish uranium mines has ignited a debate among those who would want to exploit resources (which is already done moderately with oil and natural gas) and who would like to protect and preserve it as a natural area.

Coordinates: 42 ° 05'35 "N 108 ° 21'40" W / 42.0930, -108.3610

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