Why is the sea salty?

If you’ve ever swum in the ocean, you’ll know to keep your mouth closed. Yuck — it tastes salty. Most of that salt comes from the land. Water in rivers and streams flows over the land and picks up the salts that are naturally found in soil and rocks. The rivers and streams carry the salt to the oceans. This has happened over millions of years. No wonder the ocean is a salty place!