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Why is the sea salty?
Rivers have carried salt from rocks into the sea for thousands of years, and when seawater evaporates, the salt stays behind.
When rain falls on the ground, it dissolves tiny bits of salt inside the rocks. This salty water slowly flows into the sea through rivers. When the sun warms the seawater and it evaporates, only the water rises into the sky. The salt stays behind in the sea.
This has been happening again and again for millions of years. Every year, a little more salt washes into the sea with the rivers. But since salt never evaporates, it just keeps building up in the sea. That is why the seas have grown saltier and saltier over time.
Most lakes are not salty, because the water inside them usually flows away somewhere else, so salt does not build up. But lakes with no way for the water to flow out, like the Salt Lake, can become very salty, just like the seas.
Quick facts
- Rainwater dissolves salt from rocks and carries it to the sea through rivers.
- When seawater evaporates, the water leaves but the salt stays in the sea.
- This has been happening for millions of years, which is why the seas are so salty.
- Most lakes are not salty because their water flows away somewhere else.
- Lakes with no way out, like the Salt Lake, can be as salty as the seas.
Check what you remember
3 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.
1. Where does the sea's salt come from?
2. What happens when seawater evaporates?
3. Why are most lakes not salty?
Where this comes from
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1 tr.wikipedia.org 85/100Seawater - Wikipedia
An encyclopedia page that explains simply why seawater is salty.
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