Salt in the Earth Sciences

A comprehensive review of giant salt basins, salt tectonic events, and their global implications

Salt is formed when water rich in evaporite minerals accumulates on the Earth’s surface and then evaporates. Over time, pressure and tectonics change the structure and shape of salt layers. Recent technological advances have improved the interpretation and modeling of subsurface salt structures.

Salt in the Earth Sciences: Basin Analysis and Salt Tectonics presents a global overview of giant salt basins formed under diverse tectonic settings, connecting salt deposition with tectonic events, climate change, and more.

Volume highlights include:

• Stratigraphic and structural features of giant salt basins
• Theories for the origin of salt giants and their deep crustal architecture
• Accumulations of hydrocarbon resources in salt basins
• Global examples of giant salt basins
• Salt and shale tectonic models, including salt and mud diapirism, magmatism, and salt dissolution
• Correlations with plate tectonics, climate changes, global glaciations, and major volcanic events
• Extreme environments associated with evaporite deposition on Earth and other planets of the solar system

Browse the other volume in this set, Salt in the Earth Sciences: Evaporite Rocks and Salt Deposition

The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Part I Analysis of Giant Salt Basins

1 The Red Sea Miocene Evaporite Basin 3

2 The North-Central European Permian Salt Basins 43

3 The South Atlantic Late Aptian Evaporites 89

4 The Gulf of Mexico Jurassic Salt Basin 143

5 The Mediterranean Miocene Evaporites 213

Part II Salt Tectonics and Global Implications

6 Retrospective of Salt Tectonic Models 277

7 Salt Tectonics in Divergent, Convergent, and Transcurrent Settings 333

8 Shale Tectonics, Magmatism, and Salt Dissolution in Sedimentary Basins 393

9 Salt Deposition and Plate Tectonics, Extreme Environments, and Astrogeology 459

Index 517

Webster Mohriak, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil

Salt in the Earth Sciences
Basin Analysis and Salt Tectonics

Salt is formed when water rich in evaporite minerals accumulates on the Earth’s surface and then evaporates. Over time, pressure and tectonics change the structure and shape of salt layers. Recent technological advances have improved the interpretation and modeling of subsurface salt structures.

Salt in the Earth Sciences: Basin Analysis and Salt Tectonics presents a global overview of giant salt basins formed under diverse tectonic settings, connecting salt deposition with tectonic events, climate change, and more.

Volume highlights include:

• Stratigraphic and structural features of giant salt basins
• Theories for the origin of salt giants and their deep crustal architecture
• Accumulations of hydrocarbon resources in salt basins
• Global examples of giant salt basins
• Salt and shale tectonic models, including salt and mud diapirism, magmatism, and salt dissolution
• Correlations with plate tectonics, climate changes, global glaciations, and major volcanic events
• Extreme environments associated with evaporite deposition on Earth and other planets of the solar system

The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.