The Mystery of The Nullarbor Caves
The Nullarbor plain is an incredibly flat, almost treeless and underpopulated stretch of land spanning roughly from Perth to Adelaide. The plain is famous for having the longest straight tarred road surface in the world at 146.6km and the longest straight section of railway in the world at 478 km (Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006).
The real mystery of the Nullarbor plains is the existence of at least 10 lakes in a vast system of underground caverns beneath the Nullarbor plains. These caverns lie beneath a virtual desert and in a tremendously dry region averaging only 200mm of rainfall per year (Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006). To put this in perspective Sydney receives 164mm in March alone and receives a total rainfall of 1220mm per year, 610% more than the Nullarbor (Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006).
They're isn't supposed to be rain in deserts and to make caves in limestone deposits, you need an enormous amount of rain. The mystery is fuelled by geographers who believe that the region has been mostly dry since it emerged from the sea 15,000 years ago (ABC, 1993). This leaves no explanation for the existence of multiple, massive underground lakes in the caverns beneath the Nullarbor.
Julia James a chemist at the University of Sydney, believes that the water table beneath the Nullarbor can explain the existence of the lakes (ABC, 1993). The water table dissolves as much of the limestone as it possibly can but not enough to form actual cavities in the rock (ABC, 1993). James theorises that the extra element which creates the cavities in the rocks (that form the lakes) is seeping rain water (ABC, 1993). The theory rationalises that when the rain water seeps through from the surface, it creates an unusual reaction with the inert water and increases the aggressive power of the water to dissolve more limestone (ABC, 1993). The increased rate of dissolving limestone has then created these unbelievable lake formations in the arid and dry Nullarbor plains.
Fascinatingly there is no life except for basic bacteria within these caves. Perhaps another mystery to solve?
To find out more, check out the ABC's video on the Mystery of the Nullarbor Caves
ABC Science Online 1993, The Mystery of the Nullarbor Caves, ABC, accessed 3 May 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHeqdYslX80>.
Source: Nullarbor Plain
The real mystery of the Nullarbor plains is the existence of at least 10 lakes in a vast system of underground caverns beneath the Nullarbor plains. These caverns lie beneath a virtual desert and in a tremendously dry region averaging only 200mm of rainfall per year (Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006). To put this in perspective Sydney receives 164mm in March alone and receives a total rainfall of 1220mm per year, 610% more than the Nullarbor (Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006).
Source: Nullarbor Underwater Cave
They're isn't supposed to be rain in deserts and to make caves in limestone deposits, you need an enormous amount of rain. The mystery is fuelled by geographers who believe that the region has been mostly dry since it emerged from the sea 15,000 years ago (ABC, 1993). This leaves no explanation for the existence of multiple, massive underground lakes in the caverns beneath the Nullarbor.
Source: Nullarbor Cave
Julia James a chemist at the University of Sydney, believes that the water table beneath the Nullarbor can explain the existence of the lakes (ABC, 1993). The water table dissolves as much of the limestone as it possibly can but not enough to form actual cavities in the rock (ABC, 1993). James theorises that the extra element which creates the cavities in the rocks (that form the lakes) is seeping rain water (ABC, 1993). The theory rationalises that when the rain water seeps through from the surface, it creates an unusual reaction with the inert water and increases the aggressive power of the water to dissolve more limestone (ABC, 1993). The increased rate of dissolving limestone has then created these unbelievable lake formations in the arid and dry Nullarbor plains.
Source: Nullarbor Cavern
Fascinatingly there is no life except for basic bacteria within these caves. Perhaps another mystery to solve?
To find out more, check out the ABC's video on the Mystery of the Nullarbor Caves
Tim Kelly 44585551
Reference List:
Outback Australia Travel Secrets 2006, The Nullarbor Plain Or 'Nullarbor Desert', OATS, accessed 3 May 2017, <http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/the-nullarbor-plain.html>.ABC Science Online 1993, The Mystery of the Nullarbor Caves, ABC, accessed 3 May 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHeqdYslX80>.
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