Imagine the ocean is a giant soup that has been cooking since Earth was young. The salt didn't come from one big spill, but from many tiny additions over millions of years.
Where Does It Come From? Rain falls on land and slowly dissolves little bits of rock, like sugar in hot tea. Rivers carry these dissolved [minerals](/search?q=minerals) to the sea. Also, [underwater volcanoes](/search?q=underwater%20volcanoes) puff out steam and minerals directly into the water.
Why Doesn't It Wash Away? [Water evaporates](/search?q=water%20evaporates) from the [ocean surface](/search?q=ocean%20surface) to make [clouds and rain](/search?q=clouds%20and%20rain), but the salt stays behind because it cannot turn into gas. Over time, more and more salt builds up. That is why the ocean tastes salty! > [Think of](/search?q=think%20of) it like a boiling pot of pasta: the water goes away as steam, but the noodles stay in the bowl.
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See also
- What causes a river to flow backward sometimes?
- What are submarine landslides?
- What are new islands?
- What is tectosilicate?
- What are calcium carbonate skeletons?