In the salt business, there is seldom any question as to what a Dome is. High pressure on embedded salt deposits in the earth's crust causes the salt to flow up plastiically, often with a bulging top. The characteristic, rounded water-tower-shape formation, resulted in the name salt domes, particularly in the Golf Coast area. So it was with a bit of surprise that I read of the massive salt dome in UK's Ribble Valley, rural Lancashire's country escape. Of course, Lancashire is Northwest England's home of Liverpool and Manchester, so having access to a country retreat is a great benefit to all those working in that heavy industrial environment - but the headline read, Massive salt dome to keep roads safe. Was this a new source of deicing salt?
No, not, nyet!
The article described a marvelous new structure designed to house the salt required to keep the winter roads of Ribble Valley and the surrounding area open throughout the winter season. County councillor Tony Martin, cabinet member for sustainable development correctly characterized the benefits of winter salting by stating,
Nobody realises until it's not done one day.
The council made the investment in this huge structure to ensure an adequate supply of salt for the season. They wanted to make sure that the good people of industrial Lancashire continue to have access to that marvelous country retreat of Ribble Valley.
The word Dome originally meant house in is the English language. It came from the Latin domus, which itself was traced back to the Greek domos and Sanskrit dama. In Italian, the word duomo came to mean house of God, and since all Italian cathedrals had cupolas, the word dome attached itself to that bit on top.
