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Why do flake salt crystals stop growing after they sink in brine?
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In the production of flake salt, crystals originate at the surface of the brine because they are supported by the liquid's surface tension. While at the surface, the crystals grow at their top edges, forming a characteristic inverted hollow pyramid shape known as a hopper.1
The crystals stop growing once they sink because they are no longer positioned at the surface where the evaporation process—which drives the concentration and subsequent crystal growth—is actively occurring. Once the weight of the hopper causes it to break the surface tension and sink into the deeper liquid, it is removed from the primary site of crystal formation and development.1