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Difficulty Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Difficulty Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Parental supervision may be necessary, as hot liquids are involved.
Parental supervision may be necessary, as hot liquids are involved.
Background
Background
Have you ever wondered how crystals are formed? Or what they're made up of?
Well, you’re in luck, because the process is actually much easier than you think! Today we will be looking at the formation of Salt Crystals.
About 13.6 million years go, when the Ocean water levels were much higher, water was on top of a lot of the land we see today. Europe could not even be seen! Our Earth’s water levels were so much higher than they are now because Earth had a much hotter climate overall. The temperature difference was just by a couple degrees, but every little thing counts in science! However, this began to change. Slowly, the earth began to cool down again. Water levels followed. This, combined with our forever moving tectonic plates, created lakes and reservoirs of this salty ocean water.
As the water sat in its newfound home, it began to evaporate back into the water cycle. However, because of the dry climate in many places, this water was not restored by rainfall. We also must remember that minerals and debris are too heavy for water to take with it when it evaporates. But what was left behind? You guessed it, Salt! The water was so salty that the salt began to settle on the walls and floors of its reservoirs , and as the water evaporated, more and more salt was left behind. Eventually, there was no water at all!
This is how Salt Crystals were formed. Who knew that we were eating actual crystals with our food? In the picture to the right, you can see the beautiful cubic formations of regular old table salt! Many of these salt formations are 6.6 million years older than humans!
In nature, there are whole cave systems and deposits full of these beautiful formations. Salt mines all over the world have become a popular tourist destination because of the true wonder of some of these formations.
To the left is the Cardona Salt Mountain, a salt deposit located in Spain just a little ways away from Barcelona. These crystal formations are so beautiful! What's even more exciting is that you can make these crystals at home!
The Experiment
The Experiment
Note: This experiment involves hot water, so please be careful and have an adult assist you!
Note: This experiment involves hot water, so please be careful and have an adult assist you!
What You’ll Need:
What You’ll Need:
Table Salt
Bottled Water
A tall glass jar/cup (make sure it's not too narrow!)
Cotton string
Non-plastic spoon
Experiment Steps:
Experiment Steps:
Have an adult boil a pot of water. We need the water to be at a rolling boil.
Start adding the table salt and stir well. The quantity of salt does not matter, as you will continue adding salt and stirring until no more salt will dissolve. (You will see the salt start to sit at the bottom of your container.)
Pour this solution into your container. Be careful, the water is still hot!
Dry off your stirring spoon and tie a piece of cotton string in the middle of the handle. Make sure the string is not so long that it touches the bottom of the glass!
Carefully suspend the string in the jar, using the spoon to keep it from falling into the glass. Make sure the string is not touching any of the sides of the glass!
Put your glass somewhere it will not be disturbed, and wait for the salt to grow!
Your salt crystals may take up to a week to grow, and they will not grow if you didn't add enough salt. After a few days have passed, you should be able to see the formation of your very own salt crystals. The longer you leave the solution, the bigger your crystals will get, but do not leave your crystal in the water for more than a week! You can also add food coloring or different types of salt to see how this affects your crystals.
Explanation
Explanation
Just like in the water reservoirs, as the water evaporates over time. This leaves the salt with nowhere to go. The string you placed in the water acts as the walls and floors of the salt mines. The salt clings to the string, and more and more deposits onto it over time. This is what causes the crystalline formations of salt. Many other crystals form this way, and water is almost always involved in the process. What amazing science!
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