Mt. Nusatsum

Mt. Nusatsum

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Skunk Cabbage and Iron

Skunk cabbage thrives in an environment where the iron content of the water is so high that the iron consuming bacteria produce the orange slime in this photo. The slime is created by bacteria cells exuding ferric hydroxide to coat their cells.  The breakdown of the bacteria produces a natural oil discharge that makes a sheen on the water.  It's a tough plant though and it seems to thrive in those conditions. Grizzly

2 comments:

  1. is the iron and brown muddiness in the smaller creeks cause by superconcentration due to all the excavation work in the big creeks, i.e. draining water from the side creeks to very low levels?? thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. High iron content is a problem nearly everywhere in the valley, some places on the surface and in other places in deeper wells. It's not a new phenomena. Grizzly

    ReplyDelete