Common table salt is extracted from which mineral?

Common table salt is extracted from which mineral?

• A. Halite
• B. Gypsum
• C. Calcite
• D. Fluorite

Answer: (A)

Table salt comes from the mineral halite, which is the rock-salt form of sodium chloride. Halite crystals form when seawater or saline lake water evaporates, leaving behind this mineral as the salt deposits we mine for seasoning. The other minerals listed are different in composition and use: gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate and is used for plaster; calcite is calcium carbonate and is a major component of limestone and marble; fluorite is calcium fluoride and has industrial uses. Because table salt is sodium chloride, the mineral source is halite.

Table salt comes from the mineral halite, which is the rock-salt form of sodium chloride. Halite crystals form when seawater or saline lake water evaporates, leaving behind this mineral as the salt deposits we mine for seasoning. The other minerals listed are different in composition and use: gypsum is calcium sulfate dihydrate and is used for plaster; calcite is calcium carbonate and is a major component of limestone and marble; fluorite is calcium fluoride and has industrial uses. Because table salt is sodium chloride, the mineral source is halite.