Nullarbor Karst (Western Australia and South Australia)

Background

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION ............. ]

The Nullarbor Plain is a large area of arid karst developed on Tertiary "softrock" limestones. The limestones are porous marine calcarenites.

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Further reading

LOWRY, DC. and JENNINGS, JN., 1974: The Nullarbor Karst, Australia. Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie 18(1): 35-81.

WEBB, J.A., GRIMES, K.G., & OSBORNE, R.A.L., 2003: Black Holes: Caves in the Australian Landscape. in Finlayson, B. & Hamilton-Smith, E. (eds.) Beneath the Surface: A Natural History of Australian Caves. Sydney: UNSW Press. pp. 1-52.

Selected photographs and diagrams

To view full size images, click on the displayed image.
The Bunda Cliffs run as an unbroken vertical scarp for 200 km with a height between 40 and 100m.
IMG00240.jpg
Blowholes are a common features of the surface of the plain. They are vertical shafts which may connect to small shallow caves, though most just end in a fine impenetrable spongework.
They "blow" or "suck" according to the barometric pressure.
Note the saltbush vegetation in the background.
IMG00239.jpg
Need a Dc photo here ..... KB's ?
Anastomosing half-tubes exposed along a bedding plane that has fallen from the ceiling, Webbs Cave.
Stereo-pair - view cross-eyed.
IMG00221.jpg & IMG00235.jpg



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