Other Iron Bacteria of Late September—2
October 16, 2014
Such quantity (see yesterday’s post) of iron oxide is not a problem in the Vermilion River. The next rain dispersed and swept these flocs downriver into Lake Erie, where it is never—as far as I know—a problem either. Where it is a problem is in Appalachia and the West, where poor mining practices leave this or related material in place or in small streams where it smothers vegetation. There they call stuff like this acid mine drainage or Yellow Boy I’ve never seen these mining sites, but I have the feeling that I would not find them as attractive as what I see along the beautiful Vermilion River. . . . If you’ve been receiving my photographs for very long, you know that this rock slab is shale.
Romancing Reality 