Chapel Creek at Pictured Rocks
August 31, 2010
Photographer: Rick Faber
Summary Author: Rick Faber; Jim Foster
The photo above shows the tannin stained waters of Chapel Creek draining into the aquamarine waters of Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Both the creek water and the waters of Lake Superior are fresh. Rather than randomly spilling into the lake and being immediately diluted, the stained water continued east close to the shoreline for a significant distance. Since the lake water was fairly calm it took a while, perhaps half a mile (one km) or more, before the mixing was complete. Currents perhaps contributed to the limited mixing, and additionally, a slight onshore breeze at the time the picture was snapped could have further constrained the potential for commingling. In South America, the sediment laden waters of the Rio Solimoes run side-by-side the clearer but black appearing waters of the Rio Negro for more than three and a half miles (6 km) before obvious mixing occurs. Photo taken on July 17, 2010.
Photo details: Camera Maker: PENTAX Corporation; Camera Model: PENTAX *ist DL; Focal Length: 20.0mm (35mm equivalent: 30mm); Aperture: f/9.5; Exposure Time: 0.0056 s (1/180); ISO equiv: 200; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: Landscape Mode; White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No.