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Salt dome
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Astronaut photography of Jashak salt dome in the

Zagros Mountains in Bushehr Province, Iran (the
white area in the middle)
Salt dome in Fars Province, Iran
A salt dome is a type of structural dome

formed when a thick bed of evaporite
minerals (mainly salt, or halite) found at
depth intrudes vertically into surrounding
rock strata, forming a diapir. It is
important in petroleum geology because
salt structures are impermeable and can
lead to the formation of a stratigraphic
trap.
Formation
The formation of a salt dome begins with
the deposition of salt in a restricted
marine basin. Because the flow of salt-
rich seawater into the basin is not
balanced by outflow, much to all water
lost from the basin is via evaporation,
resulting in the precipitation and
deposition of salt evaporites. The rate of
sedimentation of salt is significantly
larger than the rate of sedimentation of
clastics,[1] but it is recognized that a
single evaporation event is rarely enough
to produce the vast quantities of salt
needed to form a layer thick enough for
salt diapirs to be formed. This indicates
that a sustained period of episodic
flooding and evaporation of the basin
must occur, as can be seen from the
example of the Mediterranean Messinian
salinity crisis. At the present day,
evaporite deposits can be seen
accumulating in basins that merely have
restricted access but do not completely
dry out; they provide an analogue to
some deposits recognized in the
geologic record, such as the
Garabogazköl basin in Turkmenistan.
Over time, the layer of salt is covered

with deposited sediment, becoming
buried under an increasingly large
overburden. The overlying sediment will
undergo compaction, causing an
increase in density and therefore a
decrease in buoyancy. Unlike clastics,
pressure has a significantly smaller
effect on the density of salt due to its
crystal structure and this eventually leads
to it becoming more buoyant than the
sediment above it. The ductility of salt
initially allows it to plastically deform and
flow laterally, decoupling the overlying
sediment from the underlying sediment.
Since the salt has a larger buoyancy than
the sediment above—and if a significant
faulting event affects the lower surface
of the salt—the salt can begin to flow
vertically, forming a salt pillow.[2] The
vertical growth of these salt pillows
creates pressure on the upward surface,
causing extension and faulting[3] (see
salt tectonics).
Possible forces that drive the flow of salt

are differential loading on the source
layer and density contrasts in the
overburdening sediment.[4] Forces that
resist this flow are the mass of the roof
block and the block's inherent resistance
to faulting, i.e., strength.[4] To
accommodate common density contrast
between the overburden sediment and
the salt, beginning active diapirism, the
diapir height must be more than two-
thirds to three-quarters the thickness of
the overburden.[4] If the diapir is narrow
its height must be greater.[4]
Eventually, over millions of years, the salt
will pierce and break through the
overlying sediment, first as a dome-
shaped, and then a mushroom-shaped,
fully formed salt diapir. If the rising salt
diapir breaches the surface, it can
become a flowing salt glacier. In cross
section, these large domes may be
anywhere from 1 to 10 kilometres (0.62
to 6.21 mi) across, and extend as deep
as 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi).
Imaging of undersea salt domes in the Gulf of

Mexico
Structure
Typical structures of active diapirism are
a central crestal graben flanked by flaps
that rotate upward and outward.[4]
Reverse faults can separate the flaps
from the overburden. Normal faults
create the crestal graben and propagate
downward.[4] New faults form farther
outward as the dome arch becomes
more intense.[4] These structures occur
beneath the surface and are not
necessarily associated with the dome at
the surface. Emergence of the dome will
not occur unless the dome is very wide
or tall relative to the overburden's
thickness.[4]
Recognizing salt domes in

seismic data
If a salt dome has not pierced the
surface they can be found located
beneath the surface in various ways. The
unique surficial structures can be
observed as indicating the salt dome
beneath the surface. Salt domes can also
be interpreted from seismic reflection
where the stark density contrast between
the salt and surrounding sediments
outlines the salt structures.[4] Salt domes
can also be associated with sulfur
springs and natural gas vents.[5]
Occurrence
Salt domes occur in many parts of the
world where there is a sufficiently thick
layer of rock salt developed.
Stratigraphically, salt basins developed
periodically from the Proterozoic to the
Neogene.
Hormuz salt …
In the Middle East, upper Neoproterozoic

salt of the Hormuz Formation is
associated with widespread salt dome
formation in most parts of the Persian
Gulf and onshore in Iran, Iraq, United Arab
Emirates and Oman. The thicker salt is
found in a series of basins, the Western
Gulf, Southern Gulf and Oman salt
basins.[6]
Paradox basin …
End-on view of emergent Onion Creek salt dome

between remnants of displaced overburden

Lateral view of emergent salt dome from ridge of

remnant of displaced overburden
Pennsylvanian age salt of the Paradox

Formation forms salt domes throughout
the Paradox Basin in the US, which
extends from eastern Utah, through
southwestern Colorado into
northwestern New Mexico.
An example of an emergent salt dome is

at Onion Creek, Utah / Fisher Towers
near Moab, Utah. A Paradox Formation
salt body that has risen as a ridge
through several hundred meters of
overburden, predominantly sandstone.
As the salt body rose, the overburden
formed an anticline (arching upward
along its center line) which fractured and
eroded to expose the salt body.[7]
Barents Sea …
Offshore northern Norway in the

southwestern Barents Sea, thick Upper
Carboniferous–Lower Permian salt was
deposited, forming salt domes in the
Hammerfest and Nordkapp Basins.
Zechstein basin …
In northwest Europe Upper Permian salt
of the Zechstein Group has formed salt
domes over the Central and Southern
North Sea, extending eastwards into
Germany.
Morocco–Nova Scotia …
Upper Triassic salt forms salt domes in

the Essaouira Basin onshore and
offshore Morocco. An equivalent salt
sequence, the Argo Formation is
associated with salt dome formation on
the conjugate Nova Scotia margin.
Gulf of Mexico …
The Middle Jurassic Louann Salt of the
Gulf of Mexico has formed many salt
domes in both the US and Mexican parts
of the gulf. Major occurrences of salt
domes are found along the Gulf Coast of
the US in Texas and Louisiana.[8] One
example of an island formed by a salt
dome is Avery Island in Louisiana. At
present ocean levels it is no longer
surrounded by the sea but it is
surrounded by bayous on all sides. The
Gulf Coast is home to over 500 currently
discovered salt domes.[5]
South Atlantic salt basins …

During the break-up of the South Atlantic,
Aptian (Lower Cretaceous) age salt was
deposited within the area of thinned
crust on both the Brazilian and conjugate
Angola/Gabon margins forming many
salt domes.
Messinian salt …
During the Messinian salinity crisis (Late

Miocene), thick salt layers were formed
as the Mediterranean Sea dried out. Later
deposition once the sea refilled, triggered
the formation of salt domes.
Commercial uses
The rock salt that is found in salt domes
is mostly impermeable. As the salt
moves up towards the surface, it can
penetrate and/or bend strata of existing
rock with it. As these strata are
penetrated, they are generally bent
slightly upwards at the point of contact
with the dome, and can form pockets
where petroleum and natural gas can
collect between impermeable strata of
rock and the salt. The strata immediately
above the dome that are not penetrated
are pushed upward, creating a dome-like
reservoir above the salt where petroleum
can also gather. These oil pools can
eventually be extracted, and, indeed, form
a major source of the petroleum
produced along the coast of the Gulf of
Mexico.[9] The first salt dome was
discovered in 1900 when an exploratory
oil well was drilled into Spindletop Hill
near Beaumont, Texas.[5]
The caprock above the salt domes is

sometimes the site of deposits of native
sulfur, which is recovered by the Frasch
process.
Other uses include storing oil, natural

gas, hydrogen gas, or even hazardous
waste in large caverns formed after salt
mining, as well as excavating the domes
for uses in everything from table salt to
the granular material used to prevent
roadways from icing over.

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Salt dome

This article needs additional citations for

Astronaut photography of Jashak salt dome in the

A salt dome is a type of structural dome

Over time, the layer of salt is covered

Possible forces that drive the flow of salt

Imaging of undersea salt domes in the Gulf of

Recognizing salt domes in

In the Middle East, upper Neoproterozoic

End-on view of emergent Onion Creek salt dome

Lateral view of emergent salt dome from ridge of

Pennsylvanian age salt of the Paradox

An example of an emergent salt dome is

Offshore northern Norway in the

Upper Triassic salt forms salt domes in

South Atlantic salt basins …

During the Messinian salinity crisis (Late

The caprock above the salt domes is

Other uses include storing oil, natural

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