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This animation depicts the history of the region (the Salton Sink) where the Salton Sea exists today. Although it correctly demonstrates the evaporation and formation of Lake Cahuilla, along with the changes in the path of the Colorado River, it does not take into account the contributions made by tectonic plate movement. At the beginning of the animation the area that the Salton Sea occupies today is shown as the northern portion of the Gulf of California / Sea of Cortez. It continues by showing that northern section getting cut off from the Gulf / Sea by silt deposits from the Colorado River. While the Colorado River has dumped copious amounts of silt into the region over the ages, it has only served to prevent the Gulf / Sea from intruding into the region.
Formation of the Salton Sea.