BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



Vol. 29, pp. 471-488 September 30, 1918 



SEPARATION OF SALT FROM SALINE WATER AND MUD ^ 



BY E. M. KINDLE 



{Read hefore the Society December 28, 1917) 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 471 



Evaporation of saline water 471 



Salt separation by freezing 475 



Formation of salt crystals 476 



Desiccation of saline muds 479 



Intkoduction 



The following notes relate to laboratory observations by the writer on 

 the behavior of salt in the evaporation of saline mixtures and to a discus- 

 sion of their geological significance. The important bearing on geolog- 

 ical theory of the phenomena resulting from the separation of salt from 

 water and desiccated saline mud under experimental conditions is evident 

 to the stratigrapher who has to interpret the meaning of salt crystal casts, 

 mud-cracks, salt domes, and other features associated with the occurrence 

 of salt in nature. The memoranda which follow relate to various experi- 

 ments designed chiefly to permit observation of the features incident to 

 the evaporation of salt water and to a discussion of geological phenomena 

 on which they throw light. 



Evaporation" of saline Water 



Saline water possesses the peculiar property of being able to circumvent 

 the action of gravity and to ascend the vertical sides of any vessel in which 

 it may be placed. This curious characteristic of salt water evidently rep- 

 resents a phase of the phenomena of capillarity. It is not immediately 

 active or apparent on filling a vessel with salt water. If, however, an 

 ordinary drinking glass is filled three-quarters full of brine, it will be 



1 Manuscript received by the Secretary of tlie Society .January 28, 1018. 

 Published witli the permission of the Director of the Geological Survey of Canada. 

 XXXVI— Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 20, 1017 ^471) 



