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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals F-J |
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Halite |
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Name
Halite
Chemistry
NaCl
Uses
Salt (food seasoning), primary ore for both sodium and chlorine, to melt snow and ice for road safety, salt licks for cattle, medicinal purposes
Color
Clear, dark blue, light blue, pink, white
Hardness
2.5
Specific gravity
2.1+
Crystals
Cubes and in massive sedimentary beds, but also granular, fibrous and compact
Accompanied by:
Borate, Shalides, Sulfates
Fracture
Brittle
Luster
Vitreous (Glassy) to opaque
Cleavage
Cubical perfect
Streak
White
Similar to:
The word Halite or sodium chloride comes from the Greek word "halos", meaning salt and "lithos" meaning rock.
It is called an evaporite because it is formed by the evaporation of saline water in partially enclosed basins. An evaporite means that it forms when water evaporites and leaves behind dissolved solids. All halite comes from the sea.
Halite (also known as rock salt) is easy recognizable thanks to habits, the cleavage and taste.
Halite is extremely common. It is found in solid masses, where in ancient times bedrocks all over the world, where large extinct salt lakes and seas had evaporated millions of years ago, leaving thick deposits of salt behind.
Well crystallized specimens of Halite cubes are very impressive and quite popular.
Halite is a soft mineral that flows easily under pressure. At depths of as little as 3 kilometers, it begins to rise through the rocks above it in cylindrical plugs called salt domes. These are of interest to oil prospectors because petroleum collects around them.
