Introduction
There are various economic activities carried out in different countries. Mining is one of them. It could be done on land as well as in the sea. The sea is one of the most precious natural resources from which various items and services could be got from. Various minerals are mined from the sea for instance salt, gravel, sand, copper, iron, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Crude oil is also drilled from the deep sea (Richards, 2010). This piece of paper looks at salt as one of the substances found in the sea. It will include the process required to extract it.
Discussion
Thomas (1999) asserts that salt is an essential resource got from the sea. It is a compound that contains chlorine and sodium. It is used in many ways for instance cooking, being put on the roads during winter to avoid freezing as well as making other essential chemicals such as chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. Sea water contains a relatively high percentage of salt. It requires some processes in order to extract it from the sea. Evaporation is essential in extracting salt.
In extracting salt from the sea, an ancient technology is applied. It involves evaporation ponds. The technology entails digging out shallow ponds, which are water proof, and connecting them to the sea using a short canal. It is necessary that a broad area which is relatively shallow is maintained in an effort to allow optimal absorption of sunlight by the water. The pond is usually flooded with water and the canal closed. The water is left to evaporate under the sun. Water vaporizes leaving behind salt which in turn increases the level of salinity of the water. It is through continuous evaporation that a great percentage of the water evaporates leaving behind a layer of sea salt crystals which are easily collected. This therefore shows how important the process of evaporation is in regard to extraction of salt from the sea (Nanda, 1989).
There are also other modern operations that are applied in extracting salt from the sea. A variety of ponds is brought together and separated using levees. Here, time is a critical aspect in determining the success of the evaporation process. To avoid instances like rain, which could prolong the evaporation process; large indoor ponds are used, usually termed as pans. This helps in shortening of the process used in extraction of salt due to use of large scale operations and protection of the salt pan from any adverse weather (Horsfall and O’Brien, 2001).
Although salt could be found underground, in rocks, the task of extracting it is relatively hard and time consuming as compared to sea extraction. This therefore explains that sea water is a cheap source of salt in terms of time and other resources needed to complete the process.
Conclusion
It is evident that the sea is extremely resourceful due to the services it facilitates as well as the minerals contained there in. Salt is for instance a very essential mineral that have many uses. However, it necessitates some efforts to be taken in order to extract and process the salt into a usable form. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the benefits accrued to salt and other sea substances surpass the time and cost spent in the extraction and processing activities.
Reference List
Horsfall, P and O’Brien P. (2001). Science Web Text Book, Volume 1, UK: Nelson Thornes. Web.
Nanda, J N. (1989). Development of the Resources of the Sea, India. New York: Concept Publishing Company. Web.
Richards, B. (2010). Chemical Substances Found in Sea Water. Web.
Thomas, E. (1999). How is Salt Extracted from the Sea?. Web.