To celebrate Grounded Solutions’ being in business for just over three years we are posting a short blog on something orange in nature: iron staining in groundwater seeps and springs.
Seeps and springs occur where groundwater discharges to the surface. Seeps are generally wet areas with little to no flow other than the incoming groundwater. Springs are areas where there is flowing water, often all year round. In some places the groundwater upwelling causes a rust-coloured staining which indicates iron (i.e., iron hydroxide) precipitating out of the groundwater.
This picture shows an excellent example of this “iron staining” from a seep/spring found along the shores of Portneuf-sur-Mer on the North Shore of Quebec.
