Middle East Rock Salt Atlas is the regional section of the World Rock Salt Atlas examining natural halite systems from the giant Hormuz salt domes of Iran and the Ara Group halite basins of Oman to the Mount Sedom rock-salt wall in the Dead Sea Basin and exposed salt diapirs of the United Arab Emirates.
This Atlas Covers Rock Salt Only
The Middle East contains numerous sabkhas, salt lakes and modern surface salt accumulations. This atlas, however, covers only natural halite beds that have become geological rock, subsurface rock-salt masses, and the salt domes and diapirs developed from them.
Hormuz-Ara Rock Salt System
Very thick evaporite basins developed along the eastern and northeastern Arabian Plate during the Late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian. These ancient rock-salt systems, generally described as Hormuz salt in Iran and Ara Group evaporites in Oman, form the foundation of regional salt tectonics.
Zagros and Iranian Salt Domes
The Zagros-Fars region of southern Iran contains some of the world’s most spectacular salt domes and salt glaciers. Deep rock salt migrated upward under tectonic pressure and density contrasts, reaching the surface in some areas and producing halite masses extending for kilometres.
Oman Salt Basins
The South Oman Salt Basin and Ghaba Salt Basin contain carbonate-evaporite cycles of the Ara Group. Some salt diapirs in the Ghaba Basin reach the surface directly.
Dead Sea and Mount Sedom
The Sedom Formation in the Dead Sea Basin consists of thick rock salt and other evaporites. Mount Sedom is one of the rare global examples where these salts have been tectonically uplifted to form a genuine rock-salt wall extending for kilometres at the surface.
UAE Hormuz Salt Domes
Numerous salt domes associated with the Hormuz Complex crop out in western United Arab Emirates and on islands in the Persian Gulf. Documented examples include Delma, Sir Bani Yas, Zirku, Arzana, Qarnain, Sir Bu N’air and Jebel Dhanna.
Deep Halite in Saudi Arabia
Separate from surface sabkhas, subsurface halite and gypsum-anhydrite intervals occur within sedimentary formations such as the Arab and Hith in Saudi Arabia. These units are important in petroleum geology, evaporite karst and subsurface engineering.
First Middle East Country Files
- Iran Rock Salt Deposits and Zagros-Hormuz Salt Domes
- Oman Rock Salt Deposits and the Ara Group
- Israel – Mount Sedom and Dead Sea Rock Salt
- Saudi Arabia Rock Salt and Deep Evaporites
- United Arab Emirates Hormuz Salt Domes
Continuation of the Research Programme
Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Yemen and other countries in the region will be assessed individually where natural halite can be verified from reliable geological sources. The existence of a surface saltwork or sabkha alone is not considered sufficient evidence for opening a rock-salt article.