My First Discoveries · Drawing 23 of 40
Why Is the Sea Salty?
Water and Weather
Water passing over rocks can dissolve salts. Rivers carry some to the ocean, whose water is salty.
Did you know?
When water evaporates, salts mostly remain in the ocean.
Look together
Find where the river reaches the sea.
An idea to try
An adult can dissolve a little salt in water; observe.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The scene shows a river reaching the sea. Dissolved salts are not visible as grains in the water. Continental rocks and exchanges with the seafloor contribute dissolved elements. Rivers contain them too, generally far less than the ocean.
Look together: Find where the river reaches the sea. An adult can dissolve a little salt in water; observe.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Illustrations simplify shapes and sizes. Models and enlargements help observation; choose your own colours.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- U.S. Geological Survey: Why Is the Sea Salty?Follow one route by which dissolved salts reach the ocean from rocks on land.
Source review: 2026-10-03. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
