Why the Red River is red?! Sixty percent of Oklahoma is floored by red Permian-age bedrock. This bedrock is very poorly consolidated and, as a result, the landscape is very susceptible to erosion. Here is an example of Permian mudrock disintegrating when placed in water. This sample was taken from freshly exposed bedrock several feet below the surface using a miner's pick. Oklahoma's rivers run red because of this feature of the bedrock. During and after a vigorous rainfall event, the waters of the Red, Washita, Canadian, North Canadian, and Cimarron Rivers owe their color to this property of the bedrock.
High Water on the Canadian River
A series of 4 videos showing aggressive flow of water in the Canadian River on August 21, 2007. This location is on the north bank of the Canadian River, just south of Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma has not had sustained rainfall since 2007. 2007 was a very wet year across much of the state. In fact, some of that rainfall was associated with the remnants of hurricane/tropical storm Erin, which reorganized over Oklahoma and exhibited counterclockwise rotation of the atmosphere. The rotation was not classified as a "hurricane" because a hurricane cannot form over land...by definition!
Irish Grykes & Clints
Limestone dissolution features known as grykes and clints...of course! The "grykes" are the furrows, recesses, or gaps between the "islands" of limestone. The islands, where we stand to take pictures and admire the landscape, are the "clints". Vegetation, which represents Arctic, Alpine, and Mediterranean flora, tends to populate the grykes.
Oklahoma City Water Supply
Release of 30,000 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake for Oklahoma City water supply - February, 2013. This image shows discharge of about 700 cubic feet of water per second to the North Canadian River for the benefit of Oklahoma City (per long-standing contractual agreement). 700 cubic feet per second translates to about 315,000 gallons per minute, or about 453.6 million gallons per day discharging from Canton Lake. (An acre-foot = 325,900 gallons; therefore, the requested release of 30,000 acre-feet is equivalent to 9,777,000,000 gallons). At a release rate of 453.6 million gallons per day, about 21.5 days of flow (out of the lake) should have been required. Hope someone checks my math!
