evaporitmineral

Evaporite minerals are minerals that form from the precipitation of dissolved salts as saline waters evaporate in restricted basins, such as saline lakes, inland seas, sabkhas, or coastal lagoons. They develop when evaporation concentrates brines to the point where minerals become supersaturated and begin to crystallize. As conditions change, different minerals are deposited in a characteristic sequence, from less soluble to more soluble compounds.

Representative evaporite minerals include halite (rock salt), gypsum and anhydrite (hydrated and anhydrous calcium sulfate), which commonly precipitate early in the evaporation process. More soluble salts such as sylvite (potassium chloride) and carnallite (potassium magnesium chloride hexahydrate) form in later stages. Borates such as borax and kernite occur in some evaporite basins. Other compounds, including glauberite and polyhalite, may appear in larger evaporite sequences.

Economic and industrial significance is a major aspect of evaporites. Halite is a primary source of salt used in food, chemical, and industrial applications. Gypsum and anhydrite are important for cement, plaster, and plaster products. Potassium-bearing evaporites supply potash fertilizers essential for agriculture, while borates are utilized in glassmaking and specialty chemicals. Evaporite deposits are distributed worldwide and often preserved as layered sedimentary sequences. They can play a role in basin analysis, petroleum geology as potential traps, and broader regional geology, reflecting past climate and hydrological conditions.