(Hopkins Rose Nudibranch – NPS Photo/Amy O.)

This is a special post about the recent cleanup in the tidepools during June. This was the 1st annual Pauline Geisler Memorial Tidepool Cleanup honoring our friend who suddenly passed away in March. Volunteers, Staff members and friends showed up to participate and we are thankful to everyone. We honored Pauline in the best way possible by protecting the tidepools.

With the recent boat crash last month there was plenty of trash and debris to pickup. In fact we collected over two tons of boat debris. Unfortunately, there is still plenty to cleanup, but two tons makes a big difference. It wouldn’t have happened without everyone’s help.

THANK YOU!

In addition to the boat debris, the morning of the cleanup, a new bluff collapse occured at the tidepool entrance. This collapse exposed a bright lavender coloring of the rocks.

We are still researching what causes the lavender coloring, but it appears it might be due to oxidation of maganese and iron minerals. Here’s a short description.

Rainwater and heavy ocean spray filter down through the porous sandstone layers. As this water passes through the rock, it dissolves trace amounts of manganese and iron trapped inside the sediment.

When that mineral-rich water finally reaches the exposed outer cliff face and evaporates, the minerals oxidize (react with oxygen). This leaves behind a concentrated mineral “paint” across the rocks. It doesn’t last long indicating the collapse occurred shortly before we got there due to the recent high tide.

Don’t forget to visit the Tidepool Videos page and our YouTube page.

Enjoy the virtual visit through the tidepools and Cabrillo.