Internal structures and mode of uplift of Texas and Louisiana salt domes

Maps of layering visible in salt mines show patterns of shear and flow folds; the layering is believed to be original bedding. Petrofabric studies in the Grand Saline Dome demonstrate that the motion was steeply upward and essentially parallel to the fold axes. Halite shows cubic as well as dodecahedral glide planes. The domes rose to their present positions as a series of separate elements (spines, pencils, etc.) rather than as single large entities. This theory of differential uplift has been corroborated from structural mapping in sedimentary rocks surrounding the dome.