Posts

Showing posts from February, 2026

What is Himalayan Salt and Where Does It Come From?

Image
Despite its name, Himalayan salt is not mined from the Himalayan mountains themselves. It is actually rock salt (halite) sourced from the Salt Range mountains in the Punjab region of Pakistan . This area lies south of the Himalayas and the Potohar Plateau . The story of this salt begins millions of years ago. It comes from ancient evaporite deposits formed between 600 and 540 million years ago, during the Ediacaran to early Cambrian periods . These deposits were created by the evaporation of primordial seas and were later buried, compressed, and folded by tectonic activity to form the mountains we know today . The most famous source is the Khewra Salt Mine, one of the largest and oldest salt mines in the world . Local legend attributes the discovery of these vast salt reserves to the horses of Alexander the Great's army . However, documented mining in the area dates back to the Janjua clan in the 1200s . Mineral Composition and the Pink Color The chemical composition of Himalayan s...