Evaporites are sedimentary rocks commonly formed in sedimentary environments of low terrigenous input, under arid climate where the evaporation rates are high enough for the formation of brines from which the evaporitic sediments are generated. The economic potential of these rocks is enormous, and halite, the commonly consumed salt, is one of the most important evaporitic minerals for the human beings. In addition to that, evaporitic deposits are frequently associated to environments rich in the production of organic matter, and in the geologic record the association of evaporites and giant petroleum fields is widespread. In this article, we will discuss the processes of evaporite formation and its depositional environments, the most important deposits in the world where evaporites are economically explored will be presented, and the strong association of evaporites and petroleum. The Aptian evaporites of the Sergipe Basin, formed during the initial phase of opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, will be given as an example of exploration of sylvinite, carnallite and tachydrite.
Sedimentary rocks; Evaporites; Sergipe basin; Mineral resources; South Atlantic Ocean
