The gorgeous swirls and shadows of “The Bungles” beehives from the air. Purnululu NP, The Kimberley, WA.
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The gorgeous swirls and shadows of “The Bungles” beehives from the air. Purnululu NP, The Kimberley, WA.
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Domes of the Bungle Bungles 2017
Nicolas PINEL
Bungle Bungle Ranges, Purnululu National Park
Spanning over 450 square kilometres the Bungle Bungle Ranges are some of the most iconic and distinctive topography in Western Australia. Often described as beehive in shape, the ranges are made up of layered orange and grey sandstone which is so distinguishing, it is clearly visible from satellite imagery. The breath taking formations are now a popular destination for visitors but they were largely unknown to the outside world until their official discovery in 1982 when a film crew quite literally stumbled across them while filming a documentary in the area. The site however has been culturally important for the local Kitja peoples for the last 20,000 years.
So how did this intriguing landscape come to be? 375-350 million years ago the ancient Ord Basin fault line was active and resurfacing the area. The rounded tops of the beehive formations are caused by wind coming in off the Tanami desert and as the structures are made up of mostly sandstone and conglomerates, the towers are easily reshaped by rainfall and erosion. Over the millennia the landscape has been dramatically carved away to form imposing towers and deep gorges. The trademark banding you see on the formations are caused by differences in the layers of sandstone. The dark grey layer holds more moisture which causes brown Algal growth where as the orange coloured layer is stained by the deposited iron and manganese.
The ranges might look imposing and inhospitable but during the wet season they burst with life. 130 species of bird are the most obvious inhabitance but you can also find several species of rock wallaby as well as an abundance of reptile and insects native to the area. The ranges ecological importance and outstanding beauty was recognised officially in 2003 when the Western Australian government inscribed it as a world heritage area.
-AN
Photo Credit: @Benjamin Zabakek Photography (With permission)
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Further Reading: http://www.safaris.net.au/info/bungle-bungle.htm