Selected Virginia Minerals (Part 10)
Halite
• Halite is found in sedimentary rocks in the Valley and Ridge of Virginia. It is often found with gypsum because the two minerals, called evaporites, form from the evaporation of sea water.
• Salt was taken for many years from underground deposits at Saltville in Smyth County. About two-thirds of the Confederate salt came from Saltville in the 1860s.
Halite from Saltville (Photograph by Phyllis Newbill)
Halite can be found in the rocks beneath the town of Saltville in Smyth County. This photograph shows a core of halite.