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Letter SGeology glossary

Salt Dome

A salt dome is a type of structural dome formed when a thick bed of evaporite minerals, mainly salt, intrudes vertically through overlying rock layers. Salt domes are significant in petroleum geology for trapping hydrocarbons and as targets for oil and gas exploration.

Aerial view of rugged mountain terrain (salt dome)
Fig. 1 Aerial view of rugged mountain terrain (salt dome)

Source Jackson, M. P. A., & Talbot, C. J. (1986). “External Shapes, Strains, and Deformations of Salt Structures.” Geological Society of America Bulletin, 97(3), 305-323.

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