Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Dirtberg in Lake Washington

Ever heard of a dirtberg? Neither had I until I read View From the Canoe this week.

A dirtberg (photo at left) is just what it sounds like, a floating island of dirt, Like an iceberg, the visible part of a dirtberg is a small fraction of the total mass, creating a navigation hazard and a really interesting thing to look at. Quoting View From the Canoe:

Every once in a while, a big piece of bogstuff breaks off and drifts around in the lake. It's marked with a bright buoy, which is a good idea because the above water area is about 20 x 15 feet and just like an iceberg, most of the dirtberg is below water.
You should stop by View From the Canoe. This fine blog describes one man's wanderings in a canoe in Seattle's waterways, and what he finds. As canoeist Scott Schuldt describes it:

I paddle a 16 foot royalex Old Town Penobscot. It is a jack-of-all-trades canoe, small enough for one, big enough for two, light enough to portage, tough enough to drop, moderately fast, and moderately stable. Compared to a sea kayak, it makes a very good garbage truck. I shoot with a Canon S-80 camera that is kept in a waterproof plastic case when not in use. All photos in this blog are taken from inside the canoe on the day of the new posting. I post only after canoeing. I have no idea where this is all going.
Image and sighting of the dirtberg thanks to View From the Canoe

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