Do you know why sea water is salty? Is this the reason?
Do you know why sea water is salty? You can see this in this post.
70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean. 97 percent of all water on Earth is saline. Some studies estimate that if ocean salt were removed and spread evenly over the planet's landmass, it would create a layer more than 500 feet thick, equivalent to the height of a 40-story office building. But do you know why sea water is salty? You can see this in this post.
We all know that the water in the ocean evaporates as rain. It brings with it some dissolved carbon dioxide from the surrounding air as it falls to the ground. Carbonic acid makes rainwater slightly acidic. Rainwater leads to the erosion of rocks, which are then chemically broken down by acids.
The water then carries salts and minerals with it, dissolving them into ions that are eventually deposited in streams and rivers and finally in the ocean.There are many organisms in the ocean that use dissolved ions and remove them greatly from the water. When ions are unused and left for long periods of time, their concentration increases.
Ocean waves
Seawater gets its salt from another source: hydrothermal fluids from seafloor vents. Ocean water breaks through the ocean floor and then heats the magma water from the Earth's core. This leads to chemical reactions. Oxygen, sulfates and magnesium are removed from the water.Then, the water is filled with zinc, copper, and iron from the surrounding rocks, and vents in the seafloor release the hot water with the metals. Also, underwater volcanic eruptions release minerals into the ocean, making the water salty.
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