CAPT OF AN LGT INADVERTENTLY DSNDED BELOW MINIMUM SAFE ALT DURING DSCNT FOR A VISUAL APCH.

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ON A PERFECTLY CLR NIGHT INTO SLC WE WERE DSNDING TO 7000 FT MSL JUST PASSING 11000 FT AND THE CAPT SAID THAT HE HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT AND TO LET APCH KNOW. AFTER CLRING US FOR THE VISUAL I REALIZED THAT THE CAPT HAD MISTAKENLY SEEN THE WRONG FIELD BECAUSE WE WERE STILL PASSING THROUGH 10000 FT MSL AT 10 DME ON THE LOC TO RWY 16R. REALIZING THAT HE WAS MUCH TOO HIGH; THE CAPT TOLD ME TO ASK THE TWR FOR A R 360 DEG TURN TO REINTERCEPT FINAL FOR RWY 16R. TWR GRANTED US THE TURN AND WITH NO FLAPS AND FULL SPD BRAKE WE STARTED A R TURN OVER THE HUGE LAKE TO THE N OF THE FIELD. WITH NO VISUAL REF AT ALL AND NO LIGHTS UNTIL ABOUT 190 DEGS OF THE TURN WAS COMPLETE; THE CAPT GOT WAY TOO LOW AND I HAD TO TELL HIM THAT WE WERE ONLY 1200 FT ABOVE THE GND (RADAR ALTIMETER) AND STILL 9 MI N. TWR ASKED US TO CHK OUR ALT AND I REPLIED ROGER; WE WERE ARRESTING THE DSCNT RATE. THE LNDG WENT UNEVENTFUL. HOWEVER; I FEEL WITH THE CONDITIONS SURROUNDING NO VISUAL REF MANEUVERING; THAT DELAYED VECTORS WITH ALTS WOULD BE SAFER ESPECIALLY IN SUCH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.