Answer 1:
Good question! Most of the salt in the ocean
comes from two main sources: the continents and
mid ocean ridges. Certain minerals in the
continental crust contain the element sodium (Na),
which is one of the elements in salt. Sodium
dissolves easily in water, so when rain weathers
the rocks on the continents, the sodium is carried
into the oceans. Chlorine is the other element in
salt. Chlorine is common in volcanic gases, and it
may dissolve in rainwater when volcanoes erupt and
get carried into the ocean. The other major source
of salt is mid ocean ridges. Mid ocean ridges are
essentially big long volcanoes where ocean crust
is being created under the seafloor. Ocean water
interacts with the hot rocks at ridges and can
dissolve things like sodium and chlorine in that
environment. |
