Blue solar ponds glow beside Utah’s river in space photo
A 2017 astronaut photo from the ISS captures 23 bright-blue solar evaporation ponds spanning about 400 acres near Moab, Utah, used to refine potash (potassium chloride) mined nearby. The ponds’ colors reflect different evaporation stages and the dye added to speed sunlight absorption, gradually turning from blue to white/tan as potash crystals form. The image also touches on environmental concerns: potash mining yields waste that can affect nearby waterways, and the Colorado River appears green from suspended sediments in extended NASA imagery.