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Yvonne | profile | all galleries >> Travelling the length and breadth of Australia >> A week in the Eastern SE of SA and Western Victoria, June 2013 >> Down in the The Naracoorte Fossil Caves, June 2013 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Down in the The Naracoorte Fossil Caves, June 2013

Naracoorte Caves is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia (Australia). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Riversleigh. The park preserves 6 kmē of remnant vegetation, with 26 caves contained within the 3.05 kmē World Heritage Area.

The limestone of the area was formed from coral and marine creatures 200 million years ago and again 20 million years ago when the land was below sea level. Ground water since then has dissolved and eroded some of the limestone, creating the caves. The caves, such as the Victoria Fossil Cave and Blanche Cave, are often not far below ground, and holes open up creating traps for the unwary. This is the source of the remarkable collection of fossils. Mammals and other land creatures have fallen into open caves and been unable to escape. The fossil record has been preserved in strata formed from eroded topsoil washed and blown in. In some places, the fossil-bearing silt is up to 20 metres thick. Some of these areas are being preserved for future research when better methods of dating and reconstructing fossil records may have been found. These fossil traps are especially significant for tracing Australian megafauna. Wikipedia
Looking at the bones
Looking at the bones
Ghosts from the past!
Ghosts from the past!
Down in the caves 3
Down in the caves 3
Down in the caves 2
Down in the caves 2
Down in the caves 1
Down in the caves 1
Sign about the fossils & caves
Sign about the fossils & caves
Waiting area; plenty to see
Waiting area; plenty to see
Looking at the display
Looking at the display
While we waited for the tour
While we waited for the tour
One of the buildings
One of the buildings
Pathway from the car-park
Pathway from the car-park