Water generally flows from higher elevations to lower elevations. In most places, the ocean is the lowest elevation. As water moves toward the ocean from snow melt to the water table to rivers, salts and minerals dissolve in it. Over a long period of time, these salts and minerals reach the ocean. When ocean water evaporates into clouds to continue the water cycle, the salts do not (edit) ~~dissolve~~ evaporate and remain in the ocean. Over billions of years of this process occurring, the planet’s ocean basin accumulated the salt it has today.
Latest Answers