The story of Himalayan salt begins over 250 million years ago, during the Permian period, long before dinosaurs walked the earth. At that time, the area that is now the Salt Range of Pakistan was covered by a vast, warm, shallow sea known as the Tethys Sea. Over millions of years, as the climate changed and tectonic plates shifted, this sea gradually evaporated, leaving behind enormous deposits of crystallized sea salt.
Buried by Time
As the Tethys Sea disappeared, the salt deposits were buried under layers of sediment, rock, and eventually the massive geological forces that created the Himalayan mountain range. The collision of the Indian subcontinent with the Eurasian plate, which began roughly 50 million years ago, pushed these ancient salt beds deep underground, sealing them from contamination and preserving them in their original state.
The Khewra Salt Mine
The Khewra Salt Mine, located in Punjab, Pakistan, is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in the world. Legend has it that the mine was discovered by Alexander the Great's army around 326 BC, when soldiers noticed their horses licking the salty rocks. Today, the mine produces hundreds of thousands of tons of salt annually and remains the primary source of authentic Himalayan salt. The mine extends over 11 levels, covering an area of roughly 110 square kilometers, with an estimated 6.7 billion tons of salt reserves.
Why Age Matters
The extreme age and geological burial of Himalayan salt is what sets it apart from modern sea salt or mined salt from other sources. Having been sealed underground for a quarter of a billion years, these deposits have never been exposed to modern industrial pollution, microplastics, or environmental contaminants. The salt remains as pure as the day it crystallized from that ancient ocean, carrying within it 84 trace minerals in their natural, bioavailable form.
From Mine to Your Stable
Every SalzRose product begins its journey in the Khewra Salt Mine. Our salt licks are hand-selected from the finest natural deposits, shaped by skilled artisans, and inspected for quality before being shipped to homes and stables across the USA and Canada. When you hang a SalzRose salt lick in your stable, you are giving your animals access to one of the most ancient and pure mineral sources on the planet.