Mike Hudec on Salt Tectonics

Most of Earth’s salt is dissolved in the oceans. But there is also a significant amount of solid salt among continental rocks. And because of their mechanical properties, salt formations can have a dramatic effect on the structure and evolution of the rocks that surround them. This gives rise to what we call salt tectonics – at first sight, a rather surprising juxtaposition of a soft, powdery substance with a word that connotes the larger scale structure of the crust. In the podcast, Mike Hudec explains the origin of salt in the Earth’s crust and describes the structures it forms when subjected to stresses. He also discusses how salt can play in important role in the formation of oil and gas reservoirs. Hudec is a research professor at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin.

You can listen to Mike Hudec on Salt Tectonics online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Mike Hudec on Salt Tectonics is an episode from Geology Bites By Oliver Strimpel by Oliver Strimpel.

This episode is 00:24:50 long.

This episode was published on May 11, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Geology Bites By Oliver Strimpel when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.