Why is the sea salty?
Rain washes over rocks and picks up teeny, tiny bits of salt.
Pip’s answer
- Rain washes over rocks and picks up teeny, tiny bits of salt.
- Rivers carry that salt all the way to the sea, swish swish!
- The sun lifts water back up into the sky, but the salt stays behind. For millions of years!
For grown-ups
Rainwater is very slightly acidic, so it slowly dissolves minerals from rocks. Rivers carry these dissolved salts to the sea. When seawater evaporates, the salt stays behind, so over millions of years the oceans have become salty. Undersea vents add minerals too.
Ask your child: Why do you think lakes and rivers are not salty like the sea?
More questions kids ask
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- 🌊Why is the ocean blue?
- 🐚Why do seashells sound like the ocean?
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