Halite is salt, just normal salt, that has accumulated where salt water has evaporated.

Chemical Formula: NaCl
Class: Sodium Chloride
Hardness: 2.5
Coloration: White, light yellow, orange, or pink.

How to identify it/Unique Characteristics or Properties: Halite is salt, just normal salt. that has accumulated where salt water has evaporated. Halite forms in cubic crystals if left undisturbed, but often has much more complex shapes and it melted and reformed, altering the crystal shapes. When in its massive, and not crystalline, form it is commonly called rock salt.

Where to find it in…

The Northwest: n/a in large quantities.
Other: Widely spread throughout the world wherever oceans used to be.
Past Uses: At some points in history salt has been the most valuable mineral on earth. It is used to preserve food, is used as a flux and in the making of glass, and is in almost universal use today in the chemical industry.
How it was Made: Halite is made when sea water evaporates, leaving the salt behind.
Interesting Facts: Halite is one of the first minerals to be harvested and/or mined extensively.