Türkiye Spring Salt Atlas is an inventory documenting natural spring-salt regions where salt is obtained from saline groundwater, rather than from solid rock salt directly extracted underground.
What Is Spring Salt?
Rain and snowmelt infiltrating underground may encounter rock salt or other saline geological layers along their flow paths. The water dissolves soluble minerals from the formations it contacts and becomes saline.
When this saline groundwater returns to the surface along a fault, fracture or permeable rock unit, a natural saline spring may form. Salt crystals can then be obtained by directing the spring water into evaporation ponds and removing the water through the combined effects of sun and wind.
The Difference Between Rock Salt and Spring Salt
In rock-salt mining, a solid halite body is extracted directly from the geological deposit. In spring-salt production, natural water dissolves subsurface salt-bearing layers and the producer evaporates the saline water that reaches the surface to obtain crystalline salt.
Main Spring-Salt Regions in Türkiye
The 2024 Salt Sector Report shows that spring-salt production in Türkiye is distributed across several regions. Documented saline springs and traditional saltworks include areas around Kırıkkale-Delice, Erzincan-Kemah, Tunceli-Pülümür, Siirt-Şirvan, Batman, Sivas, Erzurum and Çorum.
- Erzincan Kemah Natural Spring Salt
- Kırıkkale Delice spring salts
- Tunceli Pülümür saline springs
- Sivas spring saltworks
- Siirt Şirvan spring salts
- Çorum spring salts
- Erzurum spring salts
- Saline springs around Batman
Traditional Production Culture
Spring-salt production is seasonal in many regions. Higher summer temperatures and reduced rainfall make evaporation easier. Saline water is directed into shallow ponds, where much of the water is removed using solar energy.
The crystallized salt may be collected manually or with mechanical equipment. In some districts, traditional production methods are part of local knowledge and working culture transmitted from one generation to the next.
Social Importance of Spring Salt
Small spring saltworks can provide seasonal economic activity that complements agriculture and livestock farming, particularly in rural communities. In some regions, salt production has historically been carried out through a combination of family labour, local trade and traditional knowledge.
Geology and Hydrogeology
The discharge and salinity of a saline spring do not depend only on the size of a salt deposit. Groundwater flow paths, rock permeability, fracture and fault systems, precipitation and seasonal hydrological conditions can all influence the spring.
Environmental Considerations
Environmental assessment of spring-salt production may involve issues different from those associated with large-scale mining. Important topics include alteration of the natural flow regime of saline water, land use by evaporation ponds, connections with surface waters, saline drainage and changes in surrounding soil salinity.
Natural saline springs are themselves ecological environments with high mineral concentrations. For this reason, salinity does not automatically indicate human-caused pollution; natural hydrogeological processes must be distinguished from production-related changes.
Purpose of the Atlas
The aim of this section is to document Türkiye’s spring-salt sites province by province and district by district, and to compile separate articles covering the history, production culture, geology, hydrogeology, social life and environmental characteristics of each site.
Sources
- North Anatolian Development Agency – Salt Sector Report 2024
- Erzincan Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry – 2025 Provincial Briefing
Where and How Should Rock Salt Be Purchased?
A rock-salt product should not be chosen only on the basis of crystal appearance, colour or marketing wording. The package should be checked for the name and address of the food business operator or producer, establishment registration number, batch or lot information, date information, net quantity and labelling that clearly describes the nature of the product.
The mine and regional inventory pages on this portal do not constitute a guarantee that a particular commercial product originates directly from the deposit discussed on the page. The actual origin of a product should always be checked through the producer and origin declarations on its own packaging.
- Retail rock salt: Tuzcu Baba and cankirituzu.com
- Premium crystalline rock salt: Kristal Tuz
- Wholesale and corporate purchasing within Türkiye: Berrak Tuz
- International purchasing and export: TürkSalt
Recently Added Spring-Salt Regions
Sivas Spring-Salt Micro Atlas
The numerous natural spring saltworks in Sivas have been documented separately. Files on Fadlum, Bingöl, Hamo, Cedit, Tuzlagözü, Hafik, Manastıraltı, Gölemis, Piliç, Çakrı and Hargün can be reached through the main Sivas Spring Saltworks guide.
Siirt Spring Salts
Erzurum Aşkale Spring Saltworks
Erzurum Aşkale Spring Saltworks, one of the best-documented spring-salt sites in the upper Karasu River basin, is examined in a separate article covering its Lower Miocene evaporites, historical production ponds and natural saline-water system.