What causes sea water to be salty?

Answer 1

Salt is the taste we observe when water contains certain dissolved chemicals. Sodium Chloride (table salt) is the largest ingredient in sea salt.

The oceans started out relatively salt-free, but became salty because of erosion on the continents. Erosion washes salt out of the soil and rocks and into the sea.

In fact, lots of different chemicals get washed into the oceans by rain and snow melt, but most settle to the bottom of the oceans. (Remember, rocks and dirt are chemicals!) Salt is more prone to erosion because rain dissolves it.

Most lakes contain fresh water if they have an outlet to the sea. Other lakes are fresh because they are too young to be salty yet. (Many lakes were formed at the end of the last ice age.)

Some lakes in arid climates are salty because 1) a lot of water comes in, carrying salts and 2) a lot of water gets evaporated out, concentrating the salt in the remaining water.

Answer 2

Anime-expert is not on the mark. Oceans are salty because of the minerals that have dissolved in them over time. In contrast, most lakes and rivers are not salty because they are constantly resupplied with fresh water from rain and runoff and have outlets so that minerals in the water can drain out. Oceans have no runoff mechanism - water than goes in leaves only by evaporation, and evaporation leaves salts behind. Lakes that do not have outlets, like the Great Salt Lake in Utah, are salty for the same reason oceans are salty.

Answer 3

Somebody went to a convenience store, bought some salt and then went to the beach and accidentally got the salt in the water so it became salty.........

Seriously: Make some research about salt at wikipedia.com

Answer 4

The sea water on the planet is 3.5% saline/salt solution (NaCl). salt is often precipitated as a common by product in reactions. There is also alot of sedimentation and salt rocks on the ocean floor and NaCl in the frozen glaciers of the actric and antarctic.

Answer 5

vast supplies of salt in the ocean come down the the oceans from rivers and streams. when it gets into the ocean. the ocean water evaporates and the h2o goes up into the atmosphere leaving the salts behind..remember there are other salts that come to the ocean and are left behind like potassium.. etc...looks like a reasonable question to me!!!!!!!! looks like some detractors will be stuck in level 1for ever..

Answer 6

Salt

Answer 7

All water, even rain water, contains dissolved chemicals which scientists call "salts."