An ancient coral reef that has survived for millions of years has been found hidden in a vast Australian desert using high-resolution satellite imagery
- The Nullarbor Plains in southern Australia once contained a vast prehistoric ocean
- It is now desert on limestone ground that is extremely flat and almost featureless
- An ancient coral reef has been discovered in the desert that has survived for millions of years
- Found by Slovenian researchers using new high-resolution satellite imagery
An ancient coral reef that has survived for millions of years has been discovered hidden in a vast Australian desert.
The Nullarbor Plains of South Australia today is an extremely flat and almost featureless expanse of limestone bedrock stretching over 600 miles.
But it once contained a vast, prehistoric ocean that led to the formation of the coral when the plain was under water.
The surprising find was made by an international team of scientists using new high-resolution satellite images.
Discovery: An ancient coral reef spanning millions of years has been discovered hidden in a vast Australian desert. The reef-like landform consists of a circular, elevated ring about 1,300 m (4,265 ft) wide with a dome in the center (pictured above).
The Nullarbor Plain in South Australia (pictured) is now an extremely flat and almost featureless expanse of limestone cliffs, stretching 600 miles
“Unlike many parts of the world, large areas of the Nullarbor Plain have remained largely unaltered by weathering and erosion processes over millions of years, making it a unique geological canvas that records ancient history in a remarkable way,” said Dr. Milo Barham from Curtin University in Australia.
“Through high-resolution satellite imagery and fieldwork, we have identified the distinct remains of an original seafloor structure, preserved for millions of years, and the first of this type of landform to be discovered on the Nullarbor Plain.”
The reef-like landform consists of a circular, elevated ring about 1,300 m (4,265 ft) wide with a dome in the center. It may be the first primary depositional structure ever discovered on the plane.
“The annular ‘mound’ cannot be explained by extraterrestrial impacts or known deformation processes, but preserves the original microbial textures and features typically found in the modern Great Barrier Reef,” added Dr. Barham added.
He said the discovery was due to better access to new high-resolution satellite imagery that revealed subtle features that represent surprising histories of environmental evolution in the Nullarbor Plain.
The ocean covering the Nullarbor began to dry out about 14 million years ago, exposing the shallow-water limestones deposited in the mid-Cenozoic.
The surprising find was made by an international team of scientists using new high-resolution satellite images
“The annular ‘mound’ cannot be explained by extraterrestrial impacts or known deformation processes, but preserves the original microbial textures and features typically found in the modern Great Barrier Reef,” the researchers said
The ocean covering the Nullarbor began to dry out about 14 million years ago, exposing the shallow-water limestones deposited in the mid-Cenozoic
Very little has happened geologically on the plain since that time. There was no significant sedimentary deposition and no major upheaval leading to the formation of mountain ranges or other features.
This means that the Nullarbor is effectively a clean record of geological processes and features dating back to the Miocene.
“Evidence of the channels of long-vanished rivers, as well as sand dune systems imprinted directly in limestone, preserve an archive of ancient landscapes and even a record of the prevailing winds,” added Dr. Barham added.
“And it’s not just landscapes. Isolated cave shafts on the Nullarbor Plain preserve mummified remains of Tasmanian tigers and complete skeletons of long-extinct wonders like Thylacoleo, the marsupial lion.
“On the surface, the Nullarbor Plain has received large amounts of meteorites due to the relatively stable conditions, allowing us to look back through time to the origins of our solar system.
“These features, coupled with the million-year-old landscape features we have now identified, effectively make the Nullarbor Plain a land forgotten by time and allow for an intriguing deeper understanding of Earth’s history.”
The research was published in the journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.
