Show tons of red sediment in downpour of rain frederick chapman paleontologist of the australian commonwealth has continued cant his observations on red calnin south southeastern eastern Aus australia which he fie began in conjunction with 11 J grayson in on tile the night of december 31 1027 after a strong northerly wind had bad carried thick clouds of dust over victoria and blown the finer particles southward over bass strait there were heavy beavy but irregularly distributed falls of red rain mr chapman estimated the amount deposited in a suburb eight miles east cast or of 31 melbourne elbourne at 51 tons to fo the square mile the commonwealth meteorologist 13 11 A hunt estimated the deposit at 24 tons to the square mile the red dust on this occasion was exceptionally sticky ns as the innumerable diatoms and cocco nels still contained their tile the red stains on leaves and flowers in the gardens were retained bained for days and even weeks the impressions on glass indicate that each raindrop was coated by a thin film of the dust on november 8 3 1020 after a northerly gale sli showers ot of rod red rain fell at p in and after p m the amount of the red sediment collected in a vessel in mr Chap chapmans mans garden indicated a fall of 04 tons to the square mile or it if it had been equally distributed distribute over victoria a fall of nearly tons in that state both the minute reddish flakes of sediment and tile tho diatoms and sponge spi cules show that tile the material had been derived from the arld arid regions in the northwest of victoria and in central australia nature magazine |