Halite

minerals · crystals · salt

Salt you can see. Halite is rock salt, the natural mineral form of the same sodium chloride (NaCl) we sprinkle on food. When halite grows in the ground, it forms perfect geometric crystals that you can actually hold in your hand.

Rainbow of colors. Most halite is colorless or white and super clear, but it can also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, or gray. The different colors come from tiny bits of other materials and impurities trapped inside the crystals as they grow.

Perfect geometry. Halite crystals have a special shape called isometric, which means they grow in perfect cubes and other geometric forms. This regular shape happens because of the way the sodium and chloride atoms stack together.

Found with friends. Halite commonly occurs alongside other minerals called evaporites, including sulfates, halides, and borates. These minerals form together when salty water evaporates in ancient lakes and seas.

Ancient Greek name. The word halite comes from the Ancient Greek word for salt, haals. Scientists chose this name to honor where salt has been important to human life for thousands of years.