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Evaporites are classified as primary, secondary and tertiary, 'secondary' corresponding to diagenetic (including sabkha textures and mineralogies) and 'tertiary' to evaporites in the exhumation stage.
The reason for this was probably that the sediments were deposited largely under sabkha conditions and therefore were particularly prone to exposure and freshwater flushing.
During subsequent episodes of sulphate and chloride deposition, dense, residual brines were formed in saline lagoon, sabkha and playa environments.
Complete cycles were produced by the upward gradation from central to marginal environments of the lake or saline pan-sabkha system.
The sediment samples studied have a distinctive spectral signature owing to the vibration absorption features and photosynthetic pigments of the stratified microbial community that populate the sabkha environment.
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