A. Introduction.- 1. Outline of the Theme and Statement of the Problem.- 2. On the History of Seawater.- 3. The Zechstein Salt Succession.- 4. The Minerals of Salt Deposits.- a) The Main Components (Salt Minerals sensu stricto).- b) Accessory and Authigenic Minerals.- B. The Stability Conditions of Salt Minerals.- The Graphic Presentation of Solubility Data.- I. System CaSO4-H2O (± NaCl, etc.).- 1. Solid Phases.- 2. Temperature Dependence.- 3. The Common Ion Effect (Excluding the Formation of Compounds).- 4. Pressure Dependence.- II. System NaCI-KC1-MgCl2-H2O.- 1. Solid Phases.- 2. Stability Conditions.- a) System NaCl-H2O.- b) System NaCl-KCl-H2O.- c) System NaCl-KCl-MgCl2-H2O.- ?) Isothermal Evaporation and Solution.- ?) Temperature Dependence.- ?) Salting Out.- III. System NaCl-KCl-Na2SO4-H2O.- 1. Further Solid Phases.- 2. Stability Conditions.- IV. System NaCl-Na2SO4 MgCl2-H2O.- 1. Further Solid Phases.- 2. Stability Conditions.- 3. Crystallization Sequence (Isothermal Evaporation).- 4. Temperature Dependence.- V. The Five-Component System NaCl-KCl-MgCl2-Na2SO4-H2O.- 1. Further Solid Phases.- 2. Stability Conditions.- a) Stable Equilibria.- b) Metastable Equilibria.- 3. Crystallization Sequence.- 4. Temperature Dependence.- VI. The Five-Component System with Ca and Fe Salts.- 1. Further Solid Phases.- a) With Ca Sulphates.- b) With Ca Chlorides.- c) With Fe Chlorides.- 2. Stability Conditions.- a) With Ca Sulphates.- b) With CaCl2.- c) With FeCl2.- C. Physico-chemical Models.- I. Primary Precipitation.- 1. Static Isothermal Evaporation of Normal Seawater at 25° C.- a) Stable Equilibria without Reaction in Constant Solutions.- b) Metastable Equilibria.- c) Conditions in Reactions along Reaction Lines and at Transition Points.- 2. Altered Seawater.- a) MgSO4 Deficient.- b) Formation of Polyhalite.- 3. Primary Precipitation with a Temperature Gradient.- 4. The Effect of Pressure.- II. Thermal Metamorphism.- 1. Generalities and Calculation.- Calculation.- 2. Examples.- 3. Kainite Alteration at 72° and 83° C.- 4. Reactions in the Solid State.- 5. Geothermal Metamorphism as Defined by Borchert.- III. Solution Metamorphism.- 1. Isothermal Solution Metamorphism.- a) Incongruent Carnallite Alteration.- b) Improverishment.- c) Enrichment.- d) The Reactions of CaCl2-bearing Solutions.- e) The Formation of Kainite from Kieserite and Sylvite.- 2. Polythermal Solution Metamorphism.- IV. Dynamic Metamorphism.- V. The Behaviour of Minor Components.- 1. Bromine.- a) Theoretical Bromine Distribution.- b) The Effect of Influxes on Bromine Distribution.- c) Partition of Bromine in Thermal Metamorphism.- d) Bromine Distribution in Solution Metamorphism.- 2. Strontium.- a) Diadochically in Ca-Sulphates.- b) Sr Minerals.- c) The Sr/Ca Ratio.- D. Natural Salt Sequences and Physico-chemical Models.- I. The Main Components.- 1. Calcium Sulphate Precipitation.- a) Primary Gypsum Precipitation.- b) Anhydrite Rocks.- 2. Primary Salt Rocks.- a) MgSO4-bearing Salt Sequences.- b) MgSO4-free Salt Sequences.- ?) Without Mg Sulphate, Anhydrite Predominant.- ?) Without Mg Sulphate, Dolomite (Ankerite) Predominant.- 3. Thermally Metamorphosed Salt Rocks.- 4. Salt Rocks Altered by Solution Metamorphism.- a) Isothermal Solution Metamorphism.- ?) MgSO4-bearing Salt Sequences.- ?) MgSO4 free Salt Sequences.- b) Polythermal Solution Metamorphism.- 5. Dynamic Metamorphism of Salt Rocks.- II. Minor Components.- 1. Bromine.- a) Progressive Evaporation.- b) Varying and Recessive Concentration Changes.- c) Bromine Content and Fine Bedding.- d) Bromine Content and Water Depth.- e) Distribution of Bromine during Metamorphism.- 2. Strontium.- a) Strontium in Sulphate Rocks.- b) In Halite and Potash Salts.- E. Other Components of Salt Deposits.- 1. Boron.- a) The Behaviour of Boron during Salt Precipitation.- b) Boron Content and its Regional and Vertical Distribution.- c) Origin of the Boron.- 2. Iron.- a) The Behaviour of Iron during Salt Precipitation.- b) Distribution, Frequency, and Origin of the Iron in Salt Deposits.- 3. Salt Clays and Insoluble Residues.- a) Distribution of the Clay Minerals.- b) Chemical Characteristics of the Salt Clays.- c) Origin and Material Balance of Salt Clays.- d) Filtration Effects in Salt Clay.- e) On the Formation of Koenenite.- f) Carbonates, Fluorides, Phosphates.- F. Geological Conclusions and Problems.- 1. Normal and Altered Seawater.- 2. Rhythmic Bedding and Influxes.- 3. Temperature of Primary Precipitation.- 4. Redox Potential and Hydrogen Ion Concentrations.- 5. The Origin of the Metamorphic Solutions.- G. Review.- References.- Author and Subject Index.