Rusticle
Rusticle [ ˈɹʌstɪkɫ ] is a suitcase word from English. rust "rust" and icicle "icicle", literally means "rust cone". It is the English name for structures that are formed by iron-decomposing bacteria ( iron bacteria ) in the deep sea on objects made of steel or wrought iron . This term is mainly used for old shipwrecks that have been in place for over 100 years. Large, icicle-like structures form on the wrecks - the best known are the drop figures on the Titanic . Scientists reckon that the Titanic will be “eaten up” in the next 80 to 100 years with the formation of rusticles.
swell
- W. Wells, H. Mann: Microbiology and formation of rusticles from the RMS Titanic. In: Resource and Environmental Biotechnology. Volume 1, No. 4, 1997, pp. 271-281.