Photos: Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson's wondrous earthwork
On the north side of the Great Salt Lake, far from civilization, is one of the grandest pieces of large-scale art in the world. Made up of volcanic basalt, Spiral Jetty is a Road Trip 2009 highlight.<br>
Spiral Jetty
Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, one of the world's most famous earthworks, sits on the north side of the Great Salt Lake, near Promontory Summit. The artwork, which Smithson built in 1970, has had an interesting history, including spending years submerged under a sustained higher lake level.
Today, it is fully uncovered, but the thousands of volcanic basalt rocks that make up Spiral Jetty no longer stick up three feet above the salt-encrusted surface of the lake, as they did when the piece was first built.
CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman visited Spiral Jetty as part of his Road Trip 2009 project.
Low angle Spiral Jetty
A low angle look at Spiral Jetty from in front, just off the north shore of the Great Salt Lake.
Robert Smithson, the artist who created Spiral Jetty, died in 1973, just three years after the earthwork was installed. Today it is managed by the Dia Art Foundation.
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On Spiral Jetty
A view of Spiral Jetty from the approach to the earthwork.
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All the rings
A view from inside Spiral Jetty with all the rings of the spiral visible.
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The center
The center of the spiral, looking out at the Great Salt Lake.
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A view of the center of Spiral Jetty and the mountains that are on the other side of the Great Salt Lake.
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Outer rings looking at the lake
The outer rings of the world-famous earthwork, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty.
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People in the center
Two people walking through Spiral Jetty give a sense of the earthwork's scale.
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Looking straight at the center
A direct view of the center of Spiral Jetty.
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Spiral Jetty and Audi Q7 TDI
The Audi Q7 TDI, which he took to Spiral Jetty, that CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman is driving on Road Trip 2009.