Salt water?

Today as I was walking home from work, I thought to myself, "Why is there salt water?"

We know why there are different plants/animals - evolution.

We know why there are different types of rock - there are many variables into how a rock forms.

But why do we have salt water and fresh water? Why both?

Just curious.

reply to post by Schmidt1989


All bodies of water have some salt in them. I think that in the case of the ocean, it gets a bit more salt because of all the rocks and minerals that erode in it and there is salt that comes up from the sea floor. On top of that, most water flows into the ocean and I would think that the salt just starts to add up over the course of time since water's final stop is the ocean (until it evaporates).

Water and salt is caused by a reaction of and acid and a base. This may be the case here.

The salt in our oceans is the result of millions of years of minerals leaching and dissolving from the solid earth. The major portion comes from rivers, while a good quantity of the salts are dissolved from rocks and sediments below the ocean floor, through volcanic vents. The weather is also responsible, to a lesser degree, as the rain deposits mineral particles into the oceans.

The sun's heat distills or vaporizes almost pure water from the surface of the sea, leaving the salts and minerals behind. The water returns to the ocean, via rivers or precipitation, to wash down more salt, which becomes ever more concentrated. This process is part of the continual exchange of water between the Earth and the atmosphere that is called the hydrological or water cycle.

no but seriously, lol

evolution....? who are u speaking for? because as far as my knowledge goes we NEED salt... therefore GOD has put it there...... jus my opinion but it jus goes to show u that GOD has always have us an answer to questions... and if he did not give it to us then we not need know right now... simple and plain

Originally posted by detroitredwings
evolution....? who are u speaking for? because as far as my knowledge goes we NEED salt... therefore GOD has put it there...... jus my opinion but it jus goes to show u that GOD has always have us an answer to questions... and if he did not give it to us then we not need know right now... simple and plain

That is a very selfish view of the human species. We are not that important. Considering the universe is infinite, there is bound to be one planet with the right variables for life. Examples are salt, a good temperature, water, etc. No one put it here for us, we just got lucky.