text: The overall process of corrosion can be represented by a bimodal function, where the type of corrosion varies with time, including both oxygen-driven and anaerobic mechanisms. The dominant process will depend on the given conditions. During oxygen-driven corrosion, layers of rust form, creating various non-homogenous anoxic niches throughout the metal's surface. Within the niches the diffusion of oxygen is inhibited, leading to the ideal conditions for anaerobic corrosion to occur.