Halite

Halite is the naturally occurring mineral form of sodium chloride (NaCl), commonly called rock salt. It forms cubic crystals and dissolves readily in water.

Sodium chloride: An ionic compound of sodium and chloride ions, with formula NaCl. Halite is the naturally occurring mineral form of this compound.
Table salt: Refined edible salt composed primarily of sodium chloride, often with additives such as iodine. Halite is a natural source of the sodium chloride refined into table salt.
Salt dome: A bulbous underground structure formed when buried salt rises through denser overlying rocks. Halite can flow upward to form domes that trap petroleum and natural gas.
Sylvite: A potassium chloride mineral with formula KCl, commonly found alongside halite in evaporite deposits. Its similar appearance and association with halite can make the minerals easy to confuse.
Halite crystal structure: The cubic arrangement of alternating sodium and chloride ions in crystalline halite. This repeating structure produces halite’s characteristic cubic cleavage and crystal shape.
Rock salt: Massive or granular halite extracted from underground deposits. The name rock salt commonly describes halite mined for industrial and deicing uses.
Dead Sea: A hypersaline lake bordered by Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank. Its intense evaporation produces salt deposits that include halite.
Fluorite: A calcium fluoride mineral that commonly forms cubic crystals. Like halite, fluorite has cubic crystals, but its composition and cleavage differ.
Evaporite: A sedimentary rock formed when dissolved minerals precipitate as water evaporates. Halite commonly forms as an evaporite in drying saline waters.
Chlor-alkali process: An industrial process that electrolyzes brine to produce chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. Halite supplies the sodium chloride dissolved to make the process’s brine.

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