The temporal and spatical coincidence of saline deposits with rifting and alkaline magmatism is now widely accepted. The congruency of these three phenomena implies, logically, their trilateral genetic inter‐relationship. Conventional models for the formation of saline deposits, i.e. the “evaporation process”, cannot be properly applied to giant saline deposits, such as those of the Mediterranean and Red Sea basinsThe alternative “Volcanogenic Model” proposed here offers a genetic explanation for these problems. This Model is compared with both the conventional evaporation model and the deep‐basin evaporation model of fSchmalz. Well‐known saline‐surface basins (e.g. the Red Sea, East African rift system, Dead Sea, Mediterranean, Circum‐Atlantic, Zechstein, and Asian InfraCambrian — Lower Cambrian), and “Kuroko” and “Black Smoker” depostis, are briefly reviewed. The role of alkaline and calc‐alkaline magmatism in producing saline‐surface deposts and the application of the Volcanogenic Model in each case is discussed, and conclusions concerning the suitability of the new model are drawn.