Salt Domes

Mineral salts are easily dissolved by rainwater, then collect in ponds, lakes and meteorite craters where the water evaporates and deposits the salts. In time these deposits can become substantial. The Salt Beds may become buried by other sediments, and as the rock building processes continue above the beds, a point is reached where the salt can no longer support the weight above it. The salt at the edges of the bed are squeezed into the center, and the columns of rock above the edges collapse into the space where the salt was. The rocks above the center of the bed are "floated" upward by the lightweight salt beneath them. The center rocks are now more exposed to weathering processes and become lighter. More salt is squeezed from the margins to the center, forcing the center rocks higher, and more edge rocks slide down into the emptying space.

My Home Page Upheaval Dome Salt Domes 1. Sand Jets 2. Compaction Cones 3. Center 4. Fractures 5. Rim Rocks 6. Robert's Rift