27 October 2012
Salt crystals in a tidal pool, Hermanus
Posted by Callan
Last winter, around 10 months ago, Lily and I were walking along the shore of Hermanus, South Africa, when I saw a little closed-drainage pool in the sandstone, harboring a briny distillation of the South Atlantic Ocean.
Neat salt “rim” on the edge of the pool…
Also note the ~cubic crystals at the bottom of the pool.
Super, eh? Supersaturated….
Callan Bentley is an assistant professor of geology at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia. He is particularly interested in structural geology and the evolution of the Appalachian mountain belt. Callan draws cartoons and writes for EARTH magazine. He lives in the Fort Valley of Virginia.
