8 The Search for Salt

THE SEARCH FOR SALT by Shalini Vallepur

HOP IN THE DOUGH KNOT Welcome to my food truck, the Dough Knot! My name is Nick, and I make the tastiest pretzels in town. Which one would you like? MENU Salty pretzel Cheesy pretzel Pizza pretzel Oh, no! I've run out of salt! I use salt to make my pretzels! I need to get more salt. Hop in the Dough Knot and come with me! THE DOUGH KNOT

THE SEARCH FOR SALT We get salt from brine and rocks called halite. Brine is water that has salt in it. THE DOUGH KNOT Halite Halite comes from sea water and salt lakes. Halite can be found around the world. Brine can be found in sea water and in some lakes.

WHERE IN THE WORLD? Halite is usually found underground in hot places. Big mines are built to bring up the salt. Salt mine The three biggest salt-making countries are China, the United States, and India. The Dead Sea has a lot of salt in it. To get salt from brine, the salt needs to be taken out of the water through evaporation. Dead Sea, Jordan

PERFECT WEATHER Brine Evaporation is when heat from the sun turns water into a gas. When salt water evaporates, the water becomes a vapor, and salt is left behind. THE DOUGH KNOT If salty water is in a hot, sunny place, the water will evaporate faster. BRINE PONDS, THAILAND

THE BRINE PONDS We made it to the brine ponds! To make salt, sea water is brought to these man-made ponds. The Sun's warmth evaporates some of the water. Sand and dirt sink to the bottom of the pond. THE DOUGH KNOT Dirt is removed from the ponds to keep the water and salt clean.