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Geology Picture of the Week, Sep. 14-20, 2008: Mitchell Falls, Australia (and bonus)

Posted on 09/16/2008 6:34:05 AM PDT by cogitator

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this location was in a Crocodile Dundee movie. I don't know if it was, but it sure seems like it could have been.

This is NOT an easy place to get to, according to what I've read. And seen:

Anyways, the falls:



TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Education; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: australia; kimberley; rock; waterfall
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Bonus: Nice image of a clear day over Europe from space:

Clear skies over western Europe

1 posted on 09/16/2008 6:34:05 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: 2Trievers; headsonpikes; Pokey78; Lil'freeper; epsjr; sauropod; Miss Marple; CPT Clay; ...

** ping **


2 posted on 09/16/2008 6:40:28 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: cogitator

FAIL


3 posted on 09/16/2008 6:43:45 AM PDT by Scythian
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To: Scythian; cogitator

FAIL?

Nay, nay. ‘Tis September, It’s FALL!

(Cog: OK, look, if the falls are behind the truck, they are mighty shortfalls ....)


4 posted on 09/16/2008 6:47:56 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: cogitator

Why “on Earth” (pun intended) is this crappy image the “Geology Picture of the Week”?


5 posted on 09/16/2008 7:22:28 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: cogitator
Mitchell Falls, Australia


6 posted on 09/16/2008 7:27:26 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: Just another Joe
Now THAT's more like it! Wow! Beautiful photo and a beautiful place to be. Whenever I see images like like this, I kick myself in the butt and ask 'What the hell am I doing living in New York City"! Not that I would ever consider moving to Autralia, mind you. We have just as pretty locations right here in New York State.

Watkins Glen State Park (New York)


7 posted on 09/16/2008 7:49:18 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: cogitator; All
Geological history [of Australia]


To enlarge, click here

The geological history of the Australian continental mass is extremely prolonged and involved, continuing from the Archaean to the recent. Recent geological events are confined to intraplate earthquakes, as Australia sits far from the plate boundary and has done so since the formation of the Stirling Range during the Cretaceous.

Tectonic setting

The Australian landmass has been part of all major supercontinents, but its association with Gondwana is especially notable as important correlations have been made geologically with the African continental mass and Antarctica.

Australia separated from Antarctica over a prolonged period beginning in the Permian and continuing through to the Jurassic. This was started by rifting along the southern basin of Australia, and contributed to the rifting off of Tasmania.


Seismicity map of Australia, USGS.

Australia is currently involved with a collision with the Sunda Arc and New Guinea, which is believed to be an Arc-Arc collision zone. Stresses from the Papuan collision are currently building up, resulting in intraplate earthquakes and incipient thrusting as far south as the Flinders Ranges. It is expected that the oceanic crust north of Australia will eventually sunder, forming a small oceanic subduction zone before the Papuan Arc is accreted to the Australian continent.

Australia is currently moving toward Eurasia at the rate of 5 centimetres a year.

Archaean

There are three main cratonic shields of recognised Archaean age within the Australian landmass.

The Yilgarn Craton, the Pilbara Craton and the Gawler Craton. Several other Archaean-Proterozoic fold belts exist, usually sandwiched around the edges of these major cratonic shields.

The history of the Archaean cratons is extremely complex and protracted and the reader is referred to each craton respectively. The cratons, however, appear to have been assembled to form the greater Australian landmass in the late Archaean to mesoproterozoic, in the period of ~2400 Ma through to 1,600 Ma from a period of Proterozoic orogenies. Chiefly the Capricorn Orogeny is partly responsible for the assembly of the West Australian landmass by joining the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons. The Capricorn Orogeny is exposed in the rocks of the Bangemall Basin, Gascoyne Complex granite-gneisses and the Glengarry, Yerrida and Padbury basins. Unknown Proterozoic orogenic belts, possibly similar to the Albany Complex in southern Western Australia and the Musgrave Block, represent the Proterozoic link between the Yilgarn and Gawler cratons, covered by the Proterozoic-Palaeozoic Officer and Amadeus basins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Australia

8 posted on 09/16/2008 7:49:39 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: ETL
Very nice. Was there one time, many, (many), years ago when I visited New York state with a shipmate when I was in a Navy school in Dam Neck, VA.

Funny story, I had gone body surfing at Virginia Beach the week before and gotten BAD sunburn on my back.
We took a couple of girls to the park with us.
While there I pulled off my tee shirt and the girl I was with said, "What's wrong with your BACK?"

She spent the entire afternoon pulling strips of skin off my back where the sunburn was peeling.
LOL

9 posted on 09/16/2008 8:37:13 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: ETL
Why “on Earth” (pun intended) is this crappy image the “Geology Picture of the Week”?

I thought it was a good different perspective.

10 posted on 09/16/2008 8:54:11 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Cog: OK, look, if the falls are behind the truck, they are mighty shortfalls ....

The river being crossed is on the drive to the falls. It apparently can be a significant obstacle.

11 posted on 09/16/2008 8:56:04 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: Just another Joe
Very nice. Was there one time, many, (many), years ago when I visited New York state with a shipmate when I was in a Navy school in Dam Neck, VA. ... We took a couple of girls to the park with us.

Interesting. My mother met my father in New York's Central Park while he was in the Navy. He was from Tennessee. As the story goes, it first started out with her dating my father's shipmate, and then, for some reason, they later switched (thank God) My father, btw, was a dead ringer for John Wayne.

12 posted on 09/16/2008 8:56:35 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: Just another Joe

Looks like something a Japanese garden would have; almost too perfect for reality.


13 posted on 09/16/2008 9:04:53 AM PDT by LexBaird (Behold, thou hast drinken of the Aide of Kool, and are lost unto Men.)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Nay, nay. ‘Tis September, It’s FALL!

Not in Australia, it isn't. Obviously, it's SPRINGS.

14 posted on 09/16/2008 9:06:16 AM PDT by LexBaird (Behold, thou hast drinken of the Aide of Kool, and are lost unto Men.)
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To: cogitator; All
"Why 'on Earth' (pun intended) is this crappy image the 'Geology Picture of the Week'"?

I thought it was a good different perspective.

As you pointed out in your FReep mail to me, you attempted to post two images, apparently one which shows the Falls. However, I can only see this one with the camper:

Perhaps others can see both pics?

15 posted on 09/16/2008 9:16:34 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: cogitator

Thank you!


16 posted on 09/16/2008 9:34:29 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

Did you see two pics, or just the one with the camper?


17 posted on 09/16/2008 9:46:20 AM PDT by ETL (Smoking gun evidence on ALL the ObamaRat-commie connections at my newly revised FR Home page)
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To: ETL; 2Trievers; headsonpikes; Pokey78; Lil'freeper; epsjr; sauropod; Miss Marple; CPT Clay; ...
OK, I should have known better. Here's the link to the picture I tried to post:

20070611_20070622_Kimberleys

Here's one that should be more permanent:

The picture below is Mitchell Falls from an airplane at high water flow. Click for full-size.

The picture below is from the Web site at the bottom; they don't have a name for this waterfall, but it's impressive. Anybody have an idea? (I don't have time to research it)

Australia Trip

18 posted on 09/17/2008 6:37:42 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: cogitator

OK, I did have a minute, and it’s probably Twin Falls in Kakadu National Park. On the Web site, the picture below this one is even more impressive, and that should be Jim Jim Falls.
Though they couldn’t get there on the ground, these tourists were lucky to see these falls at high flow — the Web site I found the information on indicates that they can dry up. From what I’ve seen elsewhere, northwestern Australia hasn’t been hit hard by the drought, which is really bad in southeast Australia.


19 posted on 09/17/2008 6:42:56 AM PDT by cogitator
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To: ETL

Just one photo. One camper. And one very small 3 foot waterfall behind it. 8<)


20 posted on 09/17/2008 7:13:03 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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