Salt Flats

[RangerWickett]

From what I recall, bog mummies are created when the intense humidity causes the fat of the decaying body to turn into a lather-like substance sorta like soap, that bacteria and microbes can't get into very easily. Thus, the body is preserved even if it's still very moist.

 

[Mytholder]

Heh - I'm writing up a chapter on deserts for an upcoming d20 sourcebook, and was just about to start reading up on salt flats....

 

[Xeriar]

Well, salt flats are formed by water drying up. The salts, which were dissolved in the water, essentially stay behind while the water evaporates.

The ocean is salty because it's stagnant (technically speaking- no outflow). That's the extent of my knowledge...

A friend of mine is a civil engineer specializing in water mechanics, the ocean's water has a cycle time of about 5,750 years, compared to the atmosphere's cycle of three to five days (which is one reason why predicting the weather is such a pain).

 

[Hand of Evil]

Look to the great rift of Africa to the northeast, not far from Egypt, it is hell and has been mined for over 2000 years! The land is at sea level or just above, on the equator, and on a part of the earth that is thin, lava has flowed from the earth leaving strange rock formations and caves! During the day you can go blind from the light, it will bake your brains.

Now you have those in America, that are rather a disappointment, only blindness and lack of water. Temp can get up there but nothing like the above.

 

[Fade]

Salt was often valuable in the ancient world. Mining it would make a good trade commodity.

 

[Guillaume]

Salt was often valuable in the ancient world. Mining it would make a good trade commodity.

On that subject, I remember seeing a documentary on the History Channel that talked about the Roman Legions. It maintained that some of them were paid in salt instead of coins. That would give an indication of the value of salt in those times wouldn't it ?

Guillaume

 

[Azure Trance]

Is salt in salt flats good as is? Can I just pick it up and sell it in it's own form? (Preferably in a market far away from any salt)

 

[Fade]

Depends how picky you are I guess. You could refine it by recrystallisation, or use it as is if you don't mind a certain amount of 'flavour'.

 

[LGodamus]

Honestly one of the best resources you can buy,and it talks about this very subject, because it relates almost directly to adventuring in different enviroments is the US army survival field manual. FM21-76,.. you can pick it at most book stores. It looks at all types of habitats and enviroments from a hostile survival outlook which is cooincedentally the way an adventurer would look at these enviroments........tons of good ideas in there. Not only can it make you a better DM it might save your life one day, what a bargain..eh?

 

[William Ronald]

If you can find it, there were some 1st edition monster books with para-elementals and quasi-elementals -- including one from a plane of salt.

You might also want to have a few crystalline creatures in such an environment.