The formation and growth of ice sheets was an obvious response to significant changes in climate. But the existence of the glaciers themselves triggered climatic changes in the regions beyond their margins. In arid and semiarid areas on all continents, temperatures were lower, which meant evaporation rates were also lower. At the same time, precipitation was moderate. This cooler wetter climate resulted in the formation of many lakes called pluvial lakes (from the Latin term pluvia meaning "rain”). In North America, pluvial lakes were concentrated in the vast Basin and Range region of Nevada and Utah (Figure 6.22). Although most are now gone, a few remnants remain, the largest being Utah's Great Salt Lake.