A comment to one of my posts talked about the sulfur springs of Bushy Dell Creek, in Piedmont Park. I said I couldn’t detect any and the commenter said where to look. So a few weeks ago I looked and found this small example.
It’s just a trickle, but it offers a whiff of sulfur gas. More tellingly, it supports gray filaments of sulfur bacteria, seen here in closeup.
These look like pollution, and I guess in our context that’s what they are. But whole microbial ecosystems center on a molecular economy of sulfur, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. They’re mostly hidden underground near sulfur-bearing minerals, but here and there they get flushed out into the light.
Oakland Geology 
22 June 2019 at 12:14 pm
The park currently known as Marj Saunders Park used to be named Sulfur Springs Park. Right at Ascot and Chelton, the “Painted Rock” where birthday greetings, etc., get painted.
Before I lost my sense of smell, I used to get whiffs of sulfur at times.
So that’s sulfur springs in Oakland.
12 September 2013 at 8:01 pm
Sulfur springs in Piedmont. Who knew?
9 September 2013 at 10:57 am
They’re perfectly natural.
8 September 2013 at 2:08 pm
Any thoughts on whether or not these have a natural origin, or are the the result of past industry, chemical dumps upstream or what-have-you?