The Pinnacles - a photo on Flickriver

The Pinnacles

            Australia 2011/12

WIKIPEDIA: The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime rich sands which were blown inland to form high mobile dunes.
 
The mechanisms through which the Pinnacles were formed from this raw material are the subject of some controversy, with three mechanisms having been proposed:
 they were formed from lime leaching from the aeolian sand (wind-blown sand) and by rain cementing the lower levels of the dune into a soft limestone. Vegetation forms an acidic layer of soil and humus. A hard cap of calcrete develops above the softer limestone. Cracks in the calcrete are exploited by plant roots. The softer limestone continues to dissolve and quartz sand fills the channels that form. Vegetation dies and winds blow away the sand covering the eroded limestone, thus revealing the Pinnacles.
 they were formed through the preservation of cast of trees buried in coastal aeolianites where roots became groundwater conduits, resulting in precipitation of indurated (hard) calcrete. Subsequent wind erosion of the aeolianite would then expose the calcrete pillars.
 On the basis of the mechanism of formation of smaller “root casts” occurring in other parts of the world, it has been proposed that plants played an active role in the creation of the Pinnacles, rather than the rather passive role detailed above. The proposal is that as transpiration draws water through the soil to the roots, nutrients and other dissolved minerals flow toward the root. This process is termed "mass-flow" and can result in the accumulation of nutrients at the surface of the root, if the nutrients arrive in quantities greater than needed for plant growth. In coastal aeolian sands which have large amounts of calcium (derived from marine shells) the movement of water to the roots would drive the flow of calcium to the root surface. This calcium accumulates at high concentrations around the roots and over time is converted into a calcrete. When the roots die, the space occupied by the root is subsequently also filled with a carbonate material derived from the calcium in the former tissue of the roots and possibly also from water leaching through the structures. Although evidence has been provided for this mechanism in the formation of root casts in South Africa, evidence is still required for its role in the formation of the Pinnacles.

   

Taken in: Australia / Western Australia / Cervantes (show map)

Taken on: December 13, 2011

Tags:

2011

AUSTRALIA

Landscapes

LANDSCHAFTEN

Travel

REISEN

Fleurs et Paysages

pwpartlycloudy

day « less

Sets appears in: • Australia • Australia 2011/12 more » • LANDSCAPES « less

Groups appears in: • "Los mejores momentos de tu día" • Dragon Dagger Awards ◇◇◇ moderated queue ◇ more » • Património Geológico e Mineiro • LMF 0comments (P1/C4) • Fotografía, Libros y textos ;-)) • !Addicted to Nature!(Post 2-Award 3)Sweeper Active • Artist Spotlight P1 -AWARD 3 - Must comment • Lenguaje de las nubes★Aurora★Clouds language. • Best Images Ever (ADMIN Approval Only | Award 2 or More) • Project Weather • Silver Dogbone Post1 Award 3 or more • TOP DOG Level III • Our Wonderful and Fragile World - P1 - A4 • I know where you are • 6,000 Views Unlimited 6000 • LMF 700v-70f-70c (P1/C,F3) « less

Camera: Canon EOS 40D, f/4.5, 1/3200 sec, 17mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 40D
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	1/3200 sec
Focal Length:	17mm
ISO:	200
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0 Windows
Show full info

Stats: 11,081 views / 107 comments