How is salt made?

Salt is a mineral that can be found in both liquid and solid form. It can be found in oceans, lakes, or rock-beds buried deep in the earth. Where the salt comes from is the key to how it is made. Salt from oceans and lakes can be produced by letting shallow holes of water dry up in the sun. The salt which remains is coarse-grained, not like our fine-grained table salt. Salt produced this way is called solar salt.

Salt buried in mines deep in the earth, however, is the main source of our table salt. Salt-mines are found almost everywhere in the world. The salt is obtained by different methods. The salt veins in deep mines are broken loose by explosives. The salt is carried to the surface on elevators and is then put through a crusher. A screen then separates it into various sized crystals. This is also done in underground plants as well as in mills on the surface. The crystals are then sorted, packed and sent to the various useres.