Housen Magpart (1 of 2) (IMAGE)

Geological Society of America

Housen Magpart (1 of 2)

Caption

Tree leaves along bus routes in Bellingham, WA, were found to be up to 10 times more magnetic than leaves on quieter streets. Magnetism comes from tiny particles of pollution -- such as iron oxides from diesel exhaust -- that float through the air and either stick to leaves or grow right into them. This photo of a larger particle, taken with a scanning electron microscope, shows one of the Fe-oxide spheres produced by combustion, and collected with a double-sided tape collector.

Credit

Rachel Housen, Whatcom Middle School/Bellingham High School.

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