The store of salt in the oceans is virtually inexhaustible. It has been estimated the oceans contain about 1,370 million cubic kilometres of water. When it is realised that one cubic kilometre of sea water will yield more than twenty million tonnes of salt, one can hardly believe the tremendous quantity of salt contained in the seas. Australia's total production of salt occurs by this method.
Sea water is the basis for producing most solar evaporated salt.
The other main constituents are magnesium sulphate, calcium sulphate and potassium chloride. Their effect on the salt produced is minimised by tight control over brine flows through the salt field. . T he salt water is pumped into a field consisting of a series of shallow concentrating ponds. As the action of the sun and the wind evaporates the water, the solution that remains becomes more concentrated as it flows through the series from one end of the field to the other. Cheetham Salt's Price solar salt field from the air.