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Poisonous Mine Debris in Calif. Towns

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• Jan. 18: Darell White walks on the main street of Randsburg, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.
• Jan. 18: Tailings from a large mound have washed downstream, then dried, from mining operations in Red Mountain, Calif., are seen. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near beside this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.
• Jan. 18: Wind-carved striations and animal tracks sre seen on dunes from tailings behind fences and warning signs near Randsburg, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near beside this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.
• Jan. 18: Richard Forester of the Bureau Of Land Management opens the gate to the Kelly Mine, which has been completely fenced off, near Red Mountain, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable
• Jan. 18: Off-highway vehicle drivers, who provide the bulk of tourism to the area, prepare to leave the general store after having lunch in Randsburg, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.
• Jan. 18: The 150-foot high tailings from the Descarga Mill are carved by wind, rain and off-highway vehicle tracks, behind a fence and a sign with misspelled 'liar' graffiti added, near Randsburg, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near beside this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.
• Jan. 18: Chapman University geology student Thomas Bailey collects soil samples for later analysis from a tailing pile near an old mine near Johannesburg, Calif. In the century since prospectors abandoned the mountains of tailings near this old desert mining camp, winds have carried away more than just handfuls of California history. Soil samples have revealed arsenic levels thousands of times higher than what is considered acceptable.