sedimentary
Rock Salt / Halite Crust
Halite (Sodium Chloride, NaCl)
Hardness: 2-2.5 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to white, often tinted yellow, brown, or red by impurities; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Isometric (cubic crystals ubiquitous, though often massive or crust-like); Cleavage: Perfect cubic; Specific Gravity: 2.16.
- Hardness
- 2-2
- Luster
- Vitreous (glassy)
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Rock Salt / Halite Crust in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 2-2.5 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to white, often tinted yellow, brown, or red by impurities; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Isometric (cubic crystals ubiquitous, though often massive or crust-like); Cleavage: Perfect cubic; Specific Gravity: 2.16.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the evaporation of saline lake or sea water in arid climates. These evaporite deposits occur in sedimentary basins and can range from recent formations to hundreds of millions of years old (e.g., Permian age deposits).
Uses & applications
Primary source of table salt and road de-icing salt. Used in the chemical industry for producing chlorine and sodium hydroxide. In construction, it is used for soil stabilization. High-clarity crystals are used for specialized optical components.
Geological facts
Halite is essential to human life; historical 'salt roads' were vital trade routes. Some specimens can contain ancient fluid inclusions—bubbles of water trapped millions of years ago that may even contain dormant bacteria.
Field identification & locations
Identify in the field by its distinct salty taste (not recommended if contaminated), its cubic cleavage, and its softness (can be scratched by a fingernail). Commonly found in dry lake beds (playas), salt mines, and as efflorescence on cave walls.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Cone-in-cone structure (Limestone)
Cone-in-cone structure (Secondary Sedimentary Structure)
sedimentary
Sandstone Grain
Clastic Sedimentary Rock Grain (SiO2 dominated)
sedimentary
Chert Breccia
Brecciated Chert (Microcrystalline Silica)
sedimentary
Shale or Slaty Mudstone
Argillaceous sedimentary rock
sedimentary
Sandstone
Arenite (primarily SiO2)
sedimentary