Science · Everyday life explained

Why is seawater salty?

Rivers run fresh. Oceans run salty. The secret is time and evaporation.

Oceans3 min read5 partsQuiz of 8 questions
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Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada · Around Sahline, Sahel (150094) (9463865336) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction

Oceans cover more than 70% of the planet. On average, a liter of seawater holds about 35 grams of salt. That is no accident: it is the result of a very long process.

Salt does not fall ready-made from the sky. It travels down from the continents, then stays trapped in the ocean.

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  1. 2Salt comes from the land first
  2. 3Why rivers are not salty
  3. 4Salt also keeps the oceans moving
  4. 5Not the same salt everywhere
Open-book quiz8 questions whose answers are in the text.
Glossary8 terms explained in a tap.
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