: Why does ocean water have too much salt, but not river and lake water?
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Salt is dissolved out of the rocks that form the base the body if water. Some lakes do have a decent amount of salt do to being carved out if limestone.
The salt comes from rocks and minerals that are slowly dissolving as the water from rivers and streams runs over them. This salt is carried to the ocean, where it accumulates; the water can evaporate from the ocean, but the salt can’t, so over time, there is more and more salt in the ocean water.
Rain is acidic, acids devolves salts, salts flow down river to oceans, salts collect in the ocean with nowhere to go. Water evaporates from oceans (salts remain) rains on land, rain is acidic, acids devolves salts, salts flow down river to the ocean.
So while there is some salts in lakes and rivers it all ends up collecting in the ocean.
Many rivers originate in the mountains and are fed by snow and rain. When water evaporates out of the oceans and other waters prior to falling as precipitation, it leaves the salt behind.
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