Dust Storm produces a deep red sky in Australia [photos]

I enjoy widespread color disasters like the recent dust storm in Sydney Australia this week.

Southeastern Australian soil is composed of weathered ferric rocks. The iron makes the resulting clay minerals—like nontronite, saponite, and volkonsokite—orange-ish. This process is certainly not unique to the land Down Under. Many regions started out orange but eventually transitioned to brown or black as vegetation sprang up in the fertile clay and composted into dark organic matter. The climate around Sydney is too arid for trees and shrubs to proliferate, so the area retains its original hue. (via slate )

Below are some true colors I enjoyed from Flickr, and also check out photos by Reuters Click for the flickr page…