According to the California State University Sedimentary Rocks Tour, evaporative sedimentary rocks are created from the evaporation of fresh and salt water bodies. After water molecules change from liquid to gas, sodium, calcium and chlorine atoms stay in their solid states and remain on the floor of the water bed. The remaining water becomes enriched with these elements, which are then precipitated from the water, according to the CSU tour. This chemical formation is how evaporative chemicals are created.
Evaporative minerals are common in deserts where large bodies of water were once located. They tend to form in dry climates where evaporation exceeds rainfall. The Great Salt Lake contains large quantities of evaporative minerals as it slowly shrinks in size, forcing salt to precipitate out and form in deposits called halite, according to the website RocksandMinerals4u.
Gypsum, an evaporative mineral, is the most common sulfite mineral and is found in layered deposits with other sediments. It is used in wallboard, plaster, cement, soil conditioning and alabaster, according to the website Geology. Halite is also a common evaporative mineral that is used in table salt and tanning. It is typically colorless or white.
Limestone is created in many different ways, including evaporation. Cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites are considered evaporative limestone. They are created when droplets of water seeping down from above the cave evaporate before falling to the cave floor. When those water droplets evaporate, calcium carbonate dissolves and gets deposited into the ceiling. As this process re-occurs, icicle-shaped deposits form. In this state, limestone is called travertine.