What affects the drop rate of elemental salts?

When Escaped Elementals are killed, they drop salts, but the number of salts they drop seems to vary wildly. Are there any factors that influence the numbers of salts dropped?

Solution 1:

Rill has communicated the suggestion that salts are affected by moon phase; see this excerpt from GC between Rill and scav:

[07:49]<scav> Rill, you once suggested the possibility that moon phase affected the drop rate from elementals
[07:50]<scav> Do you still think that?
[07:50]<Rill> either the drop rate or the size and distribution of the groups, scav, yes
[07:50]<Rill> we had a player who was researching it, and he found some information that tended to confirm it
[07:50]<Rill> but sadly went inactive
[07:51]<Rill> so I don't have his final conclusions
[07:51]<Rill> have you found any evidence one way or the other?
[07:51]<scav> No
[07:51]<scav> I have had lousy drops at full moon, but that could just be bad luck
[07:53]<Rill> any particular type of elemental, scav?
[07:53]<scav> I guess all elementals will have the same drop rules
[07:54]<Rill> scav, I'm not sure all the elementals will have the same rules
[07:54]<scav> You might be right, Rill
[07:54]<Rill> it's possible that some elementals are more plentiful in certain moon phases and others in other phases
[07:54]<scav> That would be like the devs, but full moon is associated with dark magic