Natural colors of Rock Salt Mines in Iran
Rock Salt colors
Natural colors of rock salt in Iran
There are countless rock salt mines found all over the world, most of which have white rock salts. Rock salt in Iran is found mainly in desert areas. The Himalayan salt mines from Pakistan are globally known for their natural colorful rock salts and are considered to have the highest quality and most fame in public opinion.
The color spectrum of these salts varies from light yellow to dark orange and red (types of rock salt in Iran) . These salts are usually sold in lump sizes or different crushed sizes suitable for grinders and salt shakers. Other common usages of these salts are for animal feed as “animal lick Salt” and in lump sizes for home décor. Most of the big salt lumps are cut into salt blocks. Brick walls are made using these large block-shaped pieces and displayed in hotel lobbies or salt rooms in spas, for their unique look or their special properties and health benefits.
Rock salt mines in Iran
Iran, Pakistan’s western neighbor, has many well-known salt mines, but its natural colorful salt mines were not as popular and well-known until a couple of years ago. After the fame of Pakistan’s rock salts and their global acceptance, Iranian ones started to receive the attention of foreign importers, as well.
There are different color spectrums in Iranian natural colorful salts, most well-known ones are blue, yellow, red, light orange, orange, dark orange and white.
The most famous Iranian salt in global markets is the Persian blue salt.
Due to its unique color, beauty and rareness, it is considered one of the most expensive types of salt in the world.
Blue salt is extracted from Semnan province and is separated into two types of crystalline and ordinary, found in two different mines.
Some other natural colorful rock salts are scattered in different regions of Iran, but the highest number of mines and concentration of salt rocks is found in Semnan province.
Green, pink, brown, gray and white salts have been found in a salt dome in Mashhad, Iran. The height of its walls reaches 50 meters in some places.
there are three types of rock salts found in Yazd salt mines: pure white, red and dark natural colorful crude salts.
The uncapped cauliflower salt domes, which their waste density does not exceed 5 to 10 cm, facilitate sampling. the height of these salt domes from its surrounding grounds is about 50 meters in highest places and without gypsum cap and waste. the salt found in this region is clean and edible.
There a number of abandoned salt mines in this area as well, with white, pink and gray natural colorful salt rocks, which are not being exploited at the moment.
Kerman salt dome has pink salt as well as salt Candelabrum.
In another region of Kerman, White crystal salt is extracted from handmade ponds created by the locals, disconnecting them from the nearby salt plains.
It seems that the salt domes that are located in the northern parts of the Dasht-e Kavir desert, east of Tehran and south of Semnan, which used to be attributed to the Miocene are actually two different salt formations. One is San Eocene and the other is San Miocene.
Salt reserves of Semnan province
Despite the uncertainties regarding the exact age of some salt domes in Semnan province, it is clear that the supply source of salt domes in this province cannot be outside these three formations: Oligocene-Eocene, Upper red sediments and lower red sediments.
There are about 40 salt domes in Semnan Province and according to Gansar (1959), Jackson and partners (1991) the salt domes in south of Semnan, are some of the most spectacular and visible areas of salt domes in the world.
All these domes are more than 100 meters higher than their surrounding grounds and mostly exceed 8 km in diameter. Their surrounding rocks are marl and marl sands and around them layers of gypsum with almost vertical slopes can be seen. Inside some domes, volcanic and intrusive rocks can be found.
Garmsar salt mines, located in Semnan Province, have rock salts of white, black, red, orange, and sometimes green colors, covered in gypsum rocks. The salt in this mine is accompanied by a series of messy and twisted layers with a north-south trend.
In another part of Garmsar, there is a salt mine with white, red, and orange natural colorful rock salts, in which there is a 2 Cm red layer of potassium.
In addition to that, green and colorless salts and in some places black and white salts have been spotted in this province.
In the western side of Garmsar, there is a series of salt domes in which several active mines have been established. The salt rocks of most mines here are usually white and colorless and sometimes locally red. Due to the fine quality and whiteness of these rocks, as well as the suitable and mild regional topography of this area, it is considered a suitable and promising region to mine salt.
There is another active mine, on the the southern slopes of the mountains, near the Garmsar plain. Salt is present in a large complex, consisting mainly of gypsum and salt. These salts are available in a wide area with tens of kilometers in width and length and found in colors of white, black, green, colorless, red and orange. Dark blue salt crystals of 1 mm to 10 cm has also been spotted in some of the workshops.
There are many other salt mines in Semnan that show the salt diversity in this province, making it the richest salt province in Iran. Many of the natural colorful salt rocks extracted from this province are exported to different countries. these stones are mainly exported in lump and chunk sizes, either bulk or in jumbo bags.
it is possible, based on orders, to crush these stones and resize them for shipment in small 25 kg bags. Rock salt in Iran are exported to different countries like India (mainly Kandla and Mundra ports).
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