Turtle Creek near Export, Pa

Beautiful Blue Caribbean Waters of Turtle Creek! This was taken in the fall of 2008, the blue cast to the water is from Dissolved Aluminum. Where the stream is shallower the Al oxyhydroxides (AlO₄Al₁₂(OH)₂₄(H₂O)₁₂⁷⁺(aq) or Al-13) ,they form at the pH increases, stick to Everything, turning the stream bed white.  

Paper soaked for a week in some Fe rich drainage then a few weeks in some Al rich drainage. Unfortunately, the Al oxyhydroxides do not stick to paper very well so most of the Al has flaked off since this picture was taken. I am currently experimenting with different protecting/coating/staying cmpds.  

AMD AL13

Chartiers Creek AMD, lower portion

The Chartiers Creek AMD flows out of an old mine entrance (now sealed and covered except for the AMD spring) flows down a hill, through a pipe under the train tracks and down into the river. this is the lower section. The character of the precipitate changes with distance from the source, at the upper part the precipitate is very soft and yellow with abundant jello textured brain looking microbial communities, down on the lower part the ppt is much harder and orange,  and forms travertine like pools and falls. 

AMD on Hardboard: Chartiers Creek #1

11X8.5 Gesso Hardboard soak time ~2 weeks

AMD 024

11X8.5 Gesso Hardboard soak time ~2 weeks

AMD 023

18X24 Gesso Hardboard soak time ~2 weeks

AMD 023

Chartiers Creek AMD

This was the first AMD site I began working at, fortunately for me, it ended up having one of the highest dissolved iron contents in the area.  I saw this one from route 79 as I was driving around killing time and looking at things. My initial work at the site involved collecting some of the iron oxide and incorporating it into paintings and use as a high fire ceramic glaze component. I later started to immerse paper and other 2D media in the water so I could capture the iron oxidizing.  

Location: Near Heidelberg Pa, in Scotts Twp, the drainage is about 100 ft up the East bank of Chartiers Creek, just upstream of the confluence with Toms Run and near, (40.382222, -80.089722).

Date: August 2008

PaDEP Orphan Mine Drainage Site: PA0666

Flow = 81gpm

 

Water Chemistry (collected on 6/21/2006 by PaDEP)

pH = 6.00

Specific conductivity at 25C = 2410 umhos/cm

Alkalinity = 109 ppm

Hot Acidity = -9 ppm

TDS at 105C = 1830 mg/L

Ferrous Iron = 83.38 ppm

Total Iron = 82.6 ppm

Total Aluminum = 0.2 ppm

Total Manganese = 0.748 ppm

Total Sulfate = 533 ppm