HALITE

Halite is a sodium chloride compound, or NaCl, and is a natural form of salt. It most often develops as isometric crystals that are cubic in formation. It is found in large areas that previously contained enclosed salt water, such as certain lakes and seawater. As the salt water evaporates, the halite precipitates out as salt crystals. It is typically colorless or white, but may also be gray, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, or light blue and dark blue, depending on variable inclusions of other materials, impurities, and structural or isotopic abnormalities within the salt crystals themselves. Most halite crystals are cubic in appearance, with certain uncommon variants, termed Hopper Crystals, appearing as "skeletons" of the typical cubic formation. In these specimens, the edges contain what is called ‘stairstep depressions’ within each crystal face. This formation occurs due to a rapidly crystallizing environment, where the edges of the cubes simply grow faster than the centers. Halite is also found as granular deposits, as well as incredibly rare to find fibrous crystalline structures.

HALITE HISTORY AND USES

Halite is thought to have formed roughly 220 million years ago during the Permian and Triassic periods. Its formation originated from seawater that evaporated, leaving thick layers of salt on the ocean floor. Over time, these layers were buried under sediment and rock, compacting the salt and preventing it from dissolving in rainwater. Salt has been long used by humans for applications in cooking, flavoring, and meat or fish curing; as well as its applications in food preservation, abrasives, and agricultural stunting of land. In many cultures across the world, various types and colors of salt are considered a fine-dining delicacy. Additionally, in certain cold weather regions, it is industrially resourced for its use in roadway ice melt and traction improvement. Currently, the world's largest underground salt mine is the Sifto Salt Mine, and it is located 1,600 feet beneath the Great Lake Huron of Ontario, Canada. It produces over 7,700,000 tons of salt per year! The name halite comes from the Greek word’s halos, meaning "salt", and lithos, meaning "rock". The name was first proposed in 1847 by Ernst Friedrich Glocker, who was a German geologist, mineralogist, and paleontologist.

HALITE METAPHYSICS

Metaphysically, halite is considered a stone of alternating Chakras, depending on the elements that give it its variable color: For example, colorless halite is considered a cleansing and purifying Crown Chakra stone, and is said to aid its user in spiritual revelation and negative energy deflection; whereas, blue halite is considered a stone of the Third Eye Chakra, and is said to aid its user with heightened intuition and release of mental attachments related to early life traumas; whereas, pink halite is considered a stone of the Heart Chakra, and is said to encourage spiritual wellness and development, as well as removing negative energy from the heart.

Physically, salt is a natural form of sodium for the body, and an important form of natural electrolytes. Electrolytes help to keep the amount of water in the body balanced and allow it to stay hydrated for longer periods of time. Adding a small amount of salt to your drinking water helps replenish these lost electrolytes, promoting better water absorption and preventing dehydration. Additionally, salt water can help clean and heal wounds because it forces liquid out of cells, including harmful bacteria. It is also said that salt baths can help to alleviate muscle soreness and pain, and can also aid with detoxification and heavy metal removal from the body.