Hobbies And Interests
Persian Rock Salt
Persian rock salt occurs naturally in Iran and is mined to make rare salt lamps which turn purply-blue when lit. Some retailers of the lamps claim there are health benefits to using Persian purple rock salt lamps, such as better sleep, reduced allergies and enhanced relaxation for adults and children. An example is the Crystal Rock Salt Lamp. These lamps are "rare" and the color varies from deep purple to lavender to fuchsia.
Meteoritic Rock Salt
The Johnson Space Center reported that meteorites known as the "Zag" and "Monahans" meteorites were cleaved after they were discovered in 1998, says G. Jeffrey Taylor at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Small traces of a purple mineral were found inside the meteorites and this was confirmed to be primarily rock salt. The mineral had turned purple due to the effects of electromagnetic radiation (cosmic rays) on sodium chloride and potassium chloride contained within the sample.
Impure Rock Salt
The luster of impure rock salt -- that which contains impurities -- ranges from translucent to transparent purple depending on the sample and the conditions in which it formed. Colorless or white samples may also be tinted red, pink or blue with a silky appearance in the presence of impurities. One type of impurity in rock salt is made from bacterial debris, explains Iran Bentonite. The bacteria are trapped inside the rock salt during the process of crystallization.
Beetroot Rock Salt
The state of Columbus added beet juice to rock salt on the highways in 2007 as a trial to determine if it had improved anti-freezing properties compared to other substances, such as ordinary salt, reported Tim Doulin of The Columbus Dispatch. 1,080 gallons of beet juice were bought for the project, which were mixed with brine (a heavily concentrated rock salt solution). The purply-brown-colored result was intended to be environmentally friendly and less corrosive.