Oops New York Times
August 18, 2023 11:10 AM Subscribe
There is a picture of a canyon in one of today’s NYT opinion pieces, and the photo has a weird, unintentional I think, artifact in it. Can you help me figure out what it is? Here’s a link to the photo on Flickr in case you are not a NYT subscriber. Here’s a pic zoomed in.
The artifact is narrow and horizontal and spans almost half of the width of the image. It is located a little way down from the skyline and starts on the left edge of the frame.
The artifact is narrow and horizontal and spans almost half of the width of the image. It is located a little way down from the skyline and starts on the left edge of the frame.
Seconding that this looks real to me; if you look at the upper edge of the "stripey" grey and black part, you can see the edges of terraces.
posted by heatherlogan at 11:19 AM on August 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by heatherlogan at 11:19 AM on August 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I took a spin on google maps and I believe what you're seeing there is the Texas Gulf Potash Pond, One A: google maps. Or some other industrial site.
It's pretty wild looking on the satellite imagery
posted by dis_integration at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2023 [14 favorites]
It's pretty wild looking on the satellite imagery
posted by dis_integration at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2023 [14 favorites]
Nice find. It’s wild-looking in aerial and close-up photos, too.
posted by mbrubeck at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by mbrubeck at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’ve been there many times. Dis_integration has it right. They are surreal looking in person, too.
posted by chuke at 12:00 PM on August 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by chuke at 12:00 PM on August 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've also seen it in person from Dead Horse Point State Park. I consider it a stark reminder of what can happen even in the most beautiful lands if they are not protected.
posted by zsazsa at 1:25 PM on August 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by zsazsa at 1:25 PM on August 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
Veratasium did a 20-minute video on the potash ponds that is really interesting. This 7-minute video is pretty interesting as well - more into what potash is, what it's used for, what's the history of producing it, etc. Intrepid Potash wikipedia page. Potash is used for all kinds of things, but probably agriculture most by volume.
If you're interested in this kind of thing, the Bureau of Land Management has recently approved a large new potash operation in the area of Sevier Lake, a giant dry/intermittent lake in Utah's west desert that serves as the terminal lake for an endorheic basin of over 16,000 square miles - around 20% of the total surface area of the state.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has sued to stop it.
posted by flug at 4:23 PM on August 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you're interested in this kind of thing, the Bureau of Land Management has recently approved a large new potash operation in the area of Sevier Lake, a giant dry/intermittent lake in Utah's west desert that serves as the terminal lake for an endorheic basin of over 16,000 square miles - around 20% of the total surface area of the state.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has sued to stop it.
posted by flug at 4:23 PM on August 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
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posted by seanmpuckett at 11:17 AM on August 18, 2023 [2 favorites]