In situ salt precipitation at the Dead Sea

Abstract

Halite crystals were observed, for the first time, on the surface of the central part of the Dead Sea on 6 February 1979. This precipitation is assumed to be the result of an increase in the salt concentration at the lake surface by evaporation and raises some questions on the degree of saturation of the Dead Sea with respect to halite, the mechanism of salt precipitation in lakes, and the relevancy of the salt precipitation to some physical problems.