Where Does Road Salt Come From? | National Geographic

it’s a very odd mineral it only can get

it’s a very odd mineral it only can get formed in the ocean the chlorines coming

formed in the ocean the chlorines coming

formed in the ocean the chlorines coming from the volcanoes at the bottom of the

from the volcanoes at the bottom of the

from the volcanoes at the bottom of the ocean the sodium is washing off the

ocean the sodium is washing off the

ocean the sodium is washing off the continents with the rainwater and then

continents with the rainwater and then

continents with the rainwater and then in the ocean they complex to create salt

there’s a lot of salt in the ocean but

there’s a lot of salt in the ocean but it’s only about three and a half percent

it’s only about three and a half percent

it’s only about three and a half percent so what happens is a piece of the ocean

so what happens is a piece of the ocean

so what happens is a piece of the ocean gets isolated and over thousands of

gets isolated and over thousands of

gets isolated and over thousands of years of operates wherever you have

years of operates wherever you have

years of operates wherever you have thick salt deposits there’s been an

thick salt deposits there’s been an

thick salt deposits there’s been an ocean that has dried up and left behind

ocean that has dried up and left behind

ocean that has dried up and left behind the salt to get a meter thick bed of

the salt to get a meter thick bed of

the salt to get a meter thick bed of salt

salt

salt you’ve got to evaporate about sixty

you’ve got to evaporate about sixty

you’ve got to evaporate about sixty meters of water salt deposits are fairly

meters of water salt deposits are fairly

meters of water salt deposits are fairly common in the Atacama Desert in Chile

common in the Atacama Desert in Chile

common in the Atacama Desert in Chile because the Andes are such a recent

because the Andes are such a recent

because the Andes are such a recent mountain building event these salt

mountain building event these salt

mountain building event these salt deposits have stayed very close to the

deposits have stayed very close to the

deposits have stayed very close to the surface and it’s therefore very

surface and it’s therefore very

surface and it’s therefore very inexpensive to get to them and move them

inexpensive to get to them and move them

inexpensive to get to them and move them because you can mined with open pits

because you can mined with open pits

because you can mined with open pits instead of deep subterranean mining

instead of deep subterranean mining

instead of deep subterranean mining techniques

believe it or not it costs more to bring

believe it or not it costs more to bring it from upstate New York and to bring up

it from upstate New York and to bring up

it from upstate New York and to bring up in Chile the stall for Mexico’s white

in Chile the stall for Mexico’s white

in Chile the stall for Mexico’s white sold from Chile is peach island’s Brown

sold from Chile is peach island’s Brown

sold from Chile is peach island’s Brown what all those the same thing it’s just

what all those the same thing it’s just

what all those the same thing it’s just different colors the ships on average

different colors the ships on average

different colors the ships on average come here they’re about 55,000 metric

come here they’re about 55,000 metric

come here they’re about 55,000 metric tons

tons

tons usually it’s not going out as fast as it

usually it’s not going out as fast as it

usually it’s not going out as fast as it is now

is now

is now well stockpile it the trucks going out

well stockpile it the trucks going out

well stockpile it the trucks going out they might take 18 tons 240 tons the

they might take 18 tons 240 tons the

they might take 18 tons 240 tons the clamshell buckets hold about 30 tons

clamshell buckets hold about 30 tons

clamshell buckets hold about 30 tons when you have two cranes they’re doing

when you have two cranes they’re doing

when you have two cranes they’re doing an average of a thousand tons an hour

an average of a thousand tons an hour

an average of a thousand tons an hour days like today we’re loading it right

days like today we’re loading it right

days like today we’re loading it right into the structures it’s coming off the

into the structures it’s coming off the

into the structures it’s coming off the ship it’s a little bizarre to see

ship it’s a little bizarre to see

ship it’s a little bizarre to see millions and billions of tons of salt

millions and billions of tons of salt

millions and billions of tons of salt being mined in order to spread it on the

being mined in order to spread it on the

being mined in order to spread it on the roads you have to imagine water in the

roads you have to imagine water in the

roads you have to imagine water in the process of freezing these little

process of freezing these little

process of freezing these little molecules in the liquid state that just

molecules in the liquid state that just

molecules in the liquid state that just randomly organized and then as you get

randomly organized and then as you get

randomly organized and then as you get cold enough the motions slow down to the

cold enough the motions slow down to the

cold enough the motions slow down to the point where the interactions between the

point where the interactions between the

point where the interactions between the molecules get strong enough that they

molecules get strong enough that they

molecules get strong enough that they start to organize themselves into a

start to organize themselves into a

start to organize themselves into a fixed crystal lattice and that’s

fixed crystal lattice and that’s

fixed crystal lattice and that’s freezing now imagine you have salt in

freezing now imagine you have salt in

freezing now imagine you have salt in that so as you cool this thing down

that so as you cool this thing down

that so as you cool this thing down sodium and the chloride ions get in the

sodium and the chloride ions get in the

sodium and the chloride ions get in the way

way

way you have to slow things down much

you have to slow things down much

you have to slow things down much further to get those inter molecule

further to get those inter molecule

further to get those inter molecule bonds strong enough that the water will

bonds strong enough that the water will

bonds strong enough that the water will crystallize and push the salt out of the

crystallize and push the salt out of the

crystallize and push the salt out of the way is it edible

way is it edible

way is it edible I suppose it is I have never crossed my

I suppose it is I have never crossed my

I suppose it is I have never crossed my mind to break open a bag of rock salt

mind to break open a bag of rock salt

mind to break open a bag of rock salt and put it on my eggs in the morning but

and put it on my eggs in the morning but

and put it on my eggs in the morning but unless you got very unlucky in my

unless you got very unlucky in my

unless you got very unlucky in my guesses it would be all right