SALT PSEUDOMORPHS - Gloucestershire
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Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire
210 million years old (Triassic period)
Salt or halite (sodium chloride) crystals form in arid climates when salt water evaporates. They are cubic crystals with hollow faces which are very distinctive.
Aust Cliff, Gloucestershire
210 million years old (Triassic period)
Salt or halite (sodium chloride) crystals form in arid climates when salt water evaporates. They are cubic crystals with hollow faces which are very distinctive.
If the crystals are covered by sediment their shape can be preserved after the salt is dissolved. It is called a ‘pseudomorph’ with the original crystals in this case replaced by clay. Salt pseudomorphs are indicators of past climate.
This example consists of two specimens in a plastic display box.
Size: 8 x 5.5 x 1 centimetres (size of box)
Weight: 35 grams (including box)
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