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Where does salt come from? |
Minerals & Materials
You can find salt in the ocean and in the salt shaker on your dining room table. How can salt be found in nature AND at the grocery store? To understand where salt comes from, we must take a closer look at rocks!
Many rocks contain a compound called sodium chloride, also known as salt! When rain or bodies of water wash over the rocks on land, they carry away tiny pieces of these rocks, including the salty compound sodium chloride. This salt continues to follow the path of the water until it eventually flows into the ocean.
Salt in the ocean also comes from volcanoes and underwater vents that leak lava. Whenever ocean water evaporates, or turns into a gas called water vapor, salt is left behind! Some salt comes from salt deposits underground. At times salt is processed, or treated to create fine crystals, before it arrives at your grocery store and eventually makes it to your table.
Did you know that you also have salt inside of
you?! Salt enables our bodies to do important jobs, such as keeping a
healthy balance of fluids and helping our muscles to contract.
Salt crystals have an interesting texture! With an adult’s
permission, pour salt crystals onto a tray or baking sheet. Can you
make pictures or write letters and words on your salty canvas?
- “Ocean Water: Salinity.” Science & Technology Focus. Office of Naval Research. Web. 03 Aug. 2011.
- “Overview: Sea Surface Salinity (SSS).” Aquarius: Sea Surface Salinity From Space. NASA. Web. 03 Aug. 2011.
- Stout, Prentice K. Rhode Island Sea Grant. Rhode Island Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography. Web. 03 Aug. 2011.
- Zeratsky, Katherine, R.D., L.D. “Is Sea Salt Better for Your Health Than Table Salt?” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 03 Aug. 2011.