Fingerprinting erosion

You may have noticed that after a heavy rainstorm, creeks and rivers often turn the color of chocolate milk. That cloudy brown color is caused by sediments—weathered rock material ranging in size from tiny granules of mud to stones. As it courses along, water sweeps up sediments in the well-known process of erosion. Eventually, the sediments find a home, sometimes in a place where it isn't wanted. And, it's not just mud and sand that gets carried to water sources. Contaminants often catch a ride to waterways by clinging to sediments.

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