An essential mineral involved in hundreds of biological processes.
The Zechstein Sea once stretched across a great basin from present-day Britain to Poland. Its waters carried a rich composition of minerals from a world still in formation.
As the climate shifted, repeated cycles of replenishment and evaporation left layer upon layer of salts and minerals. Over time, geology became its guardian.
01
250 million years ago
The Zechstein Sea forms.
02
Evaporation cycles
Minerals become increasingly concentrated.
03
Mineral layers form
Salt and minerals are deposited over geological time.
04
Sealed beneath the earth
The deposits become protected beneath layers of rock.
