Table of Contents
Quick answer
Salt domes are uplifted underground salt bodies formed by tectonic pressure. They trap petroleum and are mined or dissolved for salt and storage caverns.
A geological structure where underground salt deposits have been pushed upward by tectonic pressure, forming a dome or pillar shape. Salt domes are important for oil and gas exploration (they often trap petroleum) and salt mining.
A salt dome is a geological structure where underground salt flowed upward under pressure, forming a dome or pillar. Salt is less dense than overlying rock and behaves plastically over geologic time. Domes often trap oil and gas and host salt mines.
In Practice
Gulf Coast salt domes in Texas and Louisiana store petroleum and support solution mining brine operations. European potash mines sometimes sit beside halite domes.