Have you ever wondered how a salt flat was formed? What process
elements are needed or avoided in order to produce this unique
type of land formation? Well, this is the article for you.
This article can be interactive, if you wish. There is a little
experiment discussed that can be put together to explain to
yourself how a salt flat is formed. The materials needed are
simple and can be found in the kitchen. I urge you to try it.
Take a pan filled with water and bring it to a boil. At that
point, begin to add salt until total saturation is accomplished.
This will be evident by the salt particles that are left at the
bottom of the pan. When no additional salt will dissolve, the
water will be holding all the salt it can.
Then put some of the mixture into two bowls. There need not be
anything special about the bowls. They can be standard, the type a
child uses to eat cereal.
One of the bowls can be left exposed on the kitchen counter or
anywhere that it will be undisturbed at a temperature near 70
degrees Fahrenheit. The other, if the season is correct - winter,
can be placed on a table out on your deck or patio, also exposed.
An off-season alternative would be a space in the freezer. The
experiment is now set into motion.
Nothing immediately happens. Days will elapse before anything
interesting develops. So, this is an experiment that you set and
forget for awhile. Easy!
Enough about the experiment’s setup. Now I will tell you about
the results that you will observe.
The bowl that remains on the kitchen counter suffers from
evaporation to the point of complete removal of the water. Nothing
but salt remains. The bowl that is outside or in your freezer
shows little effect of evaporation. However, it will still be
filled with a saltwater mixture that will not succumb to freezing.
It will still be in liquid form. That is not unexpected because
saltwater does not freeze. The water needs to release the salt
before it will turn solid.
What will be interesting is what will happen to the salt in the
bowls. The bowl that is indoors and had totally evaporated shows
signs of what I will call “Salt Creep“. It appears that the salt
molecules have tried to hitch-hike with the water vapor as it
rises out of the bowl. A crust layer will climb up and over the
side of the bowl. Yes, the salt will have risen above the original
water level and if you think to look for it, there may be salt on
the counter-top around the bowl. Even more amazing will be the
bottom of the bowl or more specifically, the remnants of salt at
the bottom. The salt will not settle into a salt flat. In fact,
the salt deposits left will be in the form of ever shrinking
circles. This shrinking continues until the very middle is what
appears to be a tiny, salt-walled cup that has barely a trace of
salt in the center. Not a flat at all!
The saltwater filled bowl that is left exposed to the elements
of the outside’s winter weather or in your freezer will show a
greatly different result. Because there has been some evaporation,
you can assume that some salt creep has taken place. However, the
evidence of such will not be visually apparent. What will be
apparent is the layer of salt that is at the bottom of the bowl. A
salt flat will have formed. A very even surface of salt will be at
the bottom with no evidence of a cupping form. It will be as flat
as those found around the earth. Yes, there will still be water
over it; but, a flat will have been created.
Additional time or a breaking of the bowl’s side would remove the
remaining water. This creation will be caused when the water
temperature drops and its saturation point changes. The water’s
ability to keep salt in suspension will be reduced. Thus, the salt
will return to its solid state and will sink to the bottom. The
surface of the solid salt will become even in the same way that
dirt settles in a pail of water that is used to clean floors. The
heavier substance sinks. There will be no hills and valleys. There
will be no ripples or any other defects. Like I said, a salt flat
will be formed.
This experiment should confirm for you that evaporation of
trapped seawater did not create our salt flats. If that process
had been the cause of the phenomena, then there would be salt
deposits up and over the mountains that surround the salt flats
due to salt creep. These types of deposits are simply not there.
The argument could be made that the rain washed the salt back into
the low area. I offer that rain never erodes just one substance
leaving all others. If erosion helped, then the flats would be
made of salt and mud, throughout. Also, remember that the deposits
are flat. The total evaporation process would have left a cupping
effect as the water was removed and this effect would be
compounded if rain washed salt back down the mountain and became
vapor prior to reaching the center of the cupping form. Which
would have happened due to the relatively small amounts of water
that could have been present over such a vast area.
So, it becomes evident that in order for a salt flat to
form, extreme low temperature need be present in the process.
Thus, wherever there is a salt flat, there was once an exposure of
saltwater to a freezing condition.
A video of the sea floor located under the Arctic Ice can be
viewed at
http://www.sciencedoubt.com/sub/06earth/passage.html
where you will watch a film clip that was shot while the Canadian
Coast Guard made a transit through the now open Northwest Passage.
The intent of the video is to draw attention to the shrinking
Arctic ice and it inadvertently confirmed the prediction made in
my book,
Are We Worth Our Salt? that contended the salt for our Oceans
was precipitating out in extreme cold regions. Salt flats existing
strongly support the crust shift theory and my book further gives
you the mechanical process required to initiate a shift. The book
can be procured through
http://www.sciencedoubt.com where you will find other
interesting ideas about all types of science topics.
Copyright by Art Ryan
Presented with permission of the author
Articles by Art Ryan
Don't miss other articles by the author:
Art Ryan's official
website: www.sciencedoubts.com
and his Blog:
http://sciencedoubt.blogspot.com/
About the Author
Arthur “Art” Ryan is an independent researcher and
author, who is a full-time employee supporting a major railroad
and a small business owner of a process engineering consulting
company, that enjoys all manner of things science. He is a
baseball and football fan, who values his privacy and therefore
writes under a pseudonym.
His book concerning Earth Changes is called “Are We
Worth Our Salt?” which can be purchased through Lulu by visiting
http://stores.lulu.com/arthurryan or
Amazon and may be procured at you local Barnes and Noble
store.
Art accepts constructive criticism about his ideas
and welcomes evidence that support or dispute his thoughts.
Questions and comments can be addressed to Art through his
official website
www.sciencedoubts.com
At his site, Art has opened a controlled, closed
forum where intellectuals, professionals, academics, and aspiring
amateurs can express their thoughts, findings, and alternate
theories under pseudonyms; thereby avoiding possible damage to
their careers or loss of existing funding. This site is to be
driven by its users and will grow to fit the need. Those
interested in writing on Science Doubt are invited to review the
“Outstanding Questions” and “News Articles” sections for topic
ideas or to contact the editor about your own.
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Are We Worth Our Salt?
Have you ever wondered what is behind some of the World's
mysteries? Do you ponder Earth changes and natural climate
swings? If so, this is a book for you. Addressed herein is a
primary thought that when first published by another author
"electrified" Albert Einstein.
Yet, a cause for the theory was not previously given. This
book will show the process steps needed to bring it to
culmination. A cause and effect approach will be brought
into play to solve this dramatic puzzle. Our Civilization is
on the line and it requires your assistance to save it. Are
you up to the challenge?
Also available here:
http://stores.lulu.com/arthurryan
ISBN 978-0-6152-1270-8
ID: 2469512 |
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