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Where is potassium found in the Dead Sea?
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potassium
Properties of potassium.
In the Dead Sea, potassium is found dissolved within the lake's highly saline waters, with concentrations estimated at approximately 1.7 percent potassium chloride. These concentrations are particularly high in the deeper layers of the lake.41
To extract this resource, industrial operationsāsuch as those at Sedomāpump water from the lake into a series of large, shallow evaporating pans, primarily located in the southwestern corner of the basin. Through solar evaporation, the water leaves behind a residue of carnallite, a mineral containing both potassium and magnesium chloride. This carnallite is then refined at the site to produce potassium chloride, commonly known as potash, which is a vital component in fertilizer production.23