salt domes
Underground mineral bulges
Salt domes are geological formations where underground salt deposits have pushed upward through surrounding rock layers, creating dome-shaped structures.
They form over millions of years as buried salt, less dense than overlying sediments, rises toward the surface.
Salt domes are economically significant—they trap oil and natural gas in adjacent rock, and their cavities serve as storage sites for petroleum reserves and waste.
- caprockImpermeable geological cover layer
- brineWater saturated with sodium
- haliteCrystalline sodium chloride ore
- evaporiteMineral from dried brine
- Gulf CoastSouthern U.S. maritime region
Gulf of Mexico · Texas oil · layer · mound · geology · tectonic activity · subsidence · strata · drilling rig · plugs · seismic · formation · intrusion · cavern · buried treasure · reservoir · underground storage · uplift