Where does our salt come from?

The salt that we use today is a natural product of a process that took place many million years ago at a time that there was no environmental pollution.

Where does our salt come from? This question can answered in different ways. The so-called bar theory by the geologist Ochsenius is the most probable explanation.

More than 250 million years ago, during the Zechstein period, most of Central Europe was covered by an inland sea which was largely cut off from the open sea by shallow straits, known as bars.

A desert-like climate predominated in our latitudes at that time. The intensive solar radiation evaporated the water, like in a gigantic evaporating pan. The salinity the water increased until the dissolved minerals crystallized out and formed layers of sodium chloride and other minerals. This led to the development of vast deposits, some of which are several hundred meters thick. These deposits were covered during the further geological developments by impermeable layers. These layers formed a natural protection. As a result, we have a pure and clean product at our disposal today.