Home >> Science & Nature >> Rocks & Minerals

How to Separate Salt From Salt Rock

Salt rock is a rock made up of a mixture of salt and other sediments and impurities from the earth. Like the salt from sea water, the salt from salt rock can be removed and used as table salt through a simple filtration process. Large deposits of salt rock all over the world exist where oceans once flowed and then evaporated. Today, salt rock can be found at some specialty food stores and purchased on the Internet for home use.

Things You'll Need

Wax paper
Hammer
Glass container
Water
Spoon
Funnel
Coffee filter
Pan
Stove

Instructions

- 1
  Crush the salt rock into small pieces. Place the rock between two pieces of wax paper and tap gently with a hammer to break apart. If you purchased your salt rock at a store, it is more than likely already in small pieces. Place 1 to 2 quarter-sized pieces in a glass container.
- 2
  Add water to the container. You need at least 1 cup of water for each quarter-sized piece of rock.
- 3
  Stir the mixture until the salt rock is completely dissolved. You may see small bits of sediment and salt rock floating in the water.
- 4
  Pour the dissolved material through a funnel lined with a coffee filter. The dissolved salt will pass through with the water, but the rock particles will be unable to pass through.
- 5
  Heat the salt water. You can pour the mixture into a pan or heat it in a glass beaker. After several minutes, the water will evaporate. What is left behind in the pan or beaker is salt.

Rocks & Minerals