vOMMON SALT. 103. 



Hallein in Saltzburg, Hallstadt, Ischel and Ebensee in Upper 

 Austria, and Aussec in Stiria ; in Hungary at Marmoros and 

 elsewhere ; in Transylvania ; Wallachia, Gallicia and Up- 

 per Silesia ; at Vic and Dieuze in France ; at Bex in Swit- 

 zerland ; in Cheshire, England ; in northern Africa in vast 

 quantities, forming hills and extended plains ; in northern 

 Persia at Teflis ; in India in the province of Lahore, and in 

 the valley of Cashmere ; in China and Asiatic Russia ; in 

 South America, in Peru and the Cordilleras of New Grenada. 



The most remarkable deposits are those of Poland and 

 Hungary. The former, near Cracow, has been worked 

 since the year 1251, and it is calculated that there is still 

 enough salt remaining to supply the whole world for many 

 centuries. Its deep subterranean regions are excavated into 

 '.louses, chapels and other ornamental forms, the roof being 

 supported by pillars of salt ; and when illuminated by lamps 

 and torches, they are objects of great splendor. 



The salt is often impure with clay, and is purified by dis- 

 solving it in large chambers, drawing it off after it has settled 

 and evaporating it again. The salt of Norwich (in Cheshire) 

 is in masses 5 to 8 feet in diameter, which are nearly pure, 

 and it is prepared for use by crushing it between rollers. 



Beds of salt have lately been opened in Virginia in Wash- 

 ington county, where as usual it is associated with gypsum. 

 The Salmon mountains of Oregon also afford rock salt. 



Salt beds occur in rocks of various ages : the brines of 

 the United States come from a red sandstone below the coal ; 

 the beds of Norwich, England, occur in magnesian lime- 

 stone ; those of the Vosges in marly sandstone beds of the 

 lower secondary ; that of Bex in the lias or middle secondary ; 

 that of the Carpathian Alps in the upper oolite ; that of 

 Wieliczka, Poland and the Pyrenees, in the cretaceous for- 

 mation or upper secondary ; that of Catalonia in tertiary : 

 and moreover there are vast deposits that are still more re- 

 cent, besides lakes that are now evaporating and producing 

 salt depositions. 



Vast lakes of salt water exist in many parts of the world. 

 Lake Timpanogos, or Youta, called also the Great Salt 

 Lake, has an area of 2000 square miles, and is remarkable 

 for its extent, considering that it is situated towards the sum. 



What is said of the beds of Cracow? Hon r is this salt purified? 

 yVhere do beds occur in North America ! What is said of salt lakes? 



