A team of United Kingdom-based researchers discovered "life's precursor molecules" housed in extraterrestrial salt crystals collected from two ancient meteorites that date back to the formation ...

Rock salt, which is actually a mineral called halite, grows this way. So does another mineral called travertine, ... Earth scientists can learn a lot from different types of crystals.

LE MARS, Iowa | Himalayan salt lamps are all the rage these days -- they're pretty, pink-ish orange and semi-practical as a lighting source.

Scientists analyzed halite samples from 830 million years ago using optical techniques. Inside the samples, they found microorganisms such as bacteria, algae and fungi that may still be alive.

The salt crystals (aka halite) that Benison and her team studied were originally found in central Australia. Benison was part of the team that published these findings in the journal Geology.

The researchers took samples of halite from 4,858 feet (1,481 meters) to 4,987 feet (1,520 m) below the modern-day surface and sliced the halite 0.04 inch (1 millimeter) thin.

The bacteria and salt-loving algae or fungi found inside the halite were trapped when the crystals formed, making them 830 million years old, the researchers said. Advertisement.

Halite ismore commonly known as "rock salt" and can be found all over theplanet in the form of salty crystals. These crystals may not seem all thatinteresting at first glance.

Boulder, Colo., USA: Primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite from the 830-million-year-old Browne Formation of central Australia contain organic solids and liquids, as documented with ...

Only specific types of halite satisfying the following criteria were selected for detailed validation : bedded salt showing primary halite crystal accumulation textures; primary halite with ...

The crystals at Searles Lake are more ephemeral than most. The rainy season that follows Gem-O-Rama will wash the majority of them away. But that doesn’t dampen these rockhounds’ enthusiasm.