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Texas salt
Scientific Name: Allolepis texana
Family: Poaceae
Category: Monocot
Growth: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Salt in Texas: A Historical and Ecological Overview
This page explores the significance of salt in Texas, examining its history, geographical presence, and ecological impact.
Considerations for Pets
- Salt marshes, where certain plants thrive, are mentioned. These areas can be habitats for various animals, and pets exploring such environments could encounter unusual flora and fauna.
History and Production
- Salt is the oldest and most continuously produced commercial mineral in Texas.
- Long before the arrival of white men, Indians obtained salt in Texas.
- The United Salt Corporation (USC), formed in 1928 and based in Houston, is a family-owned company in the salt industry.
- Texas Brine pioneered the commercial production of brine through solution mining in Texas salt domes, developing its first well in 1946.
Geographical Distribution and Habitat
- Salt Flat is a ghost town in northeastern Hudspeth County, Texas.
- The salt deposits of western Texas and southern New Mexico are remnants of ancient seas that have dried up.
- The remaining salt has percolated up through the earth.
- South Texas Salt Lakes is a WHSRN (Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network) site consisting of two inland saline lakes surrounded by Tamaulipan thornscrub and grasslands.
- Salt marshes line the landward side of Texas’ inner bays.
- El Paso’s salt mines, located about a hundred miles east of the city, had long been used.
- Confituras finishing salts are made with Texas sea salt mined near Galveston Bay.
- Information on salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain, south-central Texas can be found.
Ecological Role
- Salt marshes feature cordgrass, saltgrass, and other plants able to live in brackish water.
- Salt cedar plants are spreading shrubs or small trees, 5-20 feet tall, with numerous slender branches and small, alternate, scale-like leaves.
- TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) says it doesn’t use salt because it is too corrosive to roads.
Related Events and Structures
- The San Elizario Salt War, also known as the Salinero Revolt or the El Paso Salt War, took place in the region.
- The Salt Palace, approximately the size of a bungalow, has been built and rebuilt to promote civic pride in a town's salt mine.
Additional Resources
- Information on salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain, south-central Texas. J* Jackson and Senl (1984) covers only east Texas salt basin. N* New Orleans