Cawnpore Lookout (Guwa Country, Western Queensland)

            In the early Cretaceous period (95 - 98 million years ago) an inland sea, the Eromanga Sea, covered large parts of Queensland, central Australia, and this very place at least four times. The rivers that fed the sea brought with them sediment which flowed into the sea basin. To bring with them such a huge amount of sediment, the rivers must have been comparable in size to the present day Amazon or Mississippi rivers. As more sediment was brought in, the margins of the inland sea slowly contracted and by around 95 million years ago, the job was completed and the inland sea would never be the same again.

As the sea retreated to the north, western Queensland became a fringe of coastal wetlands and open forest. Huge conifers dominated the landscape amid a wealth of lush vegetation such as cycads, ginkgos, and ferns. Horsetail flourished amongst lakes and swamps; dragonflies flew through the marshes and winged reptiles soared above in search of prey. Heavy rain was common and the climate humid and cool. Rivers meandered northward - north to the inland sea where lungfish, turtles, and crocodiles indulged in their depths. 

The rocks that cover large parts of Central Western Queensland are made up of the sediments from the river plains that filled the basin left by the Eromanga Sea. These rocks today tell us fascinating stories about that distant past. 

The mesas and knolls of the Lilyvale Hills and in areas to the south are evidence of the erosion caused by the inland sea. These broad, often flat-topped hills are capped with a resistant rock layer. Scientists call this 'dissected residuals' because the sediments laid down by ancient lakes and seas have been carved over the millennia by runoff from countless summer storms.  The soils are easily eroded while the hardened cap rocks are more erosion resistant, giving the mesas their distinctive flat tops. 

Further information and evidence of the inland sea can be seen at Boulia in the Stone House Museum where fossils of the head and teeth of the Ichthyosaurus are on display. This reptile breathed air but lived a wholly marine life as a fast, agile, underwater hunter whose main method of propulsion was its tail.

Source: outbackway.org.au

Taken on: January 1, 2019

Tags:

lookout

view

platform

deck

horizon

plain

plains

field

fields

nature

natural

sky

skies

tree

trees

plant

plants

rock

rocks

arid

terrain

deserted

desert

isolated

isolation

desolate

peaceful

quiet

geology

history

historic

aborignal

indigenous

outback

cawnpore

winton

boulia

lilyvale hills

central west

queensland

australia « less

Sets appears in: • Channel Country (Boulia, Bedourie, & Birdsville)

Groups appears in: • Australian Travel Images • Photography more » • Photography Critiques • !FlickrSoup for Soul • Rural Australia • Flickr Nature - NO B/W, People, Structures etc • Photography Corner • Flickr, let's make it a better place! • Australiana • Australian Flickr {5 pictures a day} • Your photo goes here! no 30/60 • History is All Around Us • Queensland • Flickr Australia • Australian Photographers!!!! • *** Flickr's Most Creative Shots *** • I bring my camera everywhere (no 30/60 limit) • Beautiful Capture • Project worldwide (pictures of places around the world) • Get noticed • Your Best Photography • Nature...Anything Goes • The Australian Experience • Your best photo on Flickr • National Flickr Graphic • Photography Club • nature's composition • Photography Magazine, I Heart • Land of Oz (This is Australia!) • !!Perfect Composition!! • Photography 24/7 {We need some activity!} • Western Queensland • The Hundred Club of Flickr • ***Flickr Global • Flickr United (Founded by Photographer Ben Heine) • Flickr Community (INVITE ALL CONTACTS) • Queensland Australia • Flickr Queensland • Australia All Over • Around Australia • ` FLICKR ´ • Outback of Australia • Queensland Photographers Australia • [][][] Flickr. DNA [][][] • Flickr center • Photography Week • World Photographers' Photos WPP • Nikon Photographers • Your best of the best • The Best ... • ㋡ flickr ○● DEPOT ㋡ • !*ALL ARE WELCOME*! • Photo Hog 12 • This is Why I Bought A Camera • !*Flickr All Stars*! • Nature and Animals (Wild Only) • Pictures of the World. • The best picture of the world • PHOTOGRAPHY Colors • Australia, Our Great Southern Land • Travels With My Camera - Australia • The best photographs from around the world. • Photo-Phactory • wildlife and the wild • All Your Photos and Mine (No 30/60 limit - Photos from anywhere) • Photographers of Australia « less

Camera: Nikon D5600, f/9.0, 1/1000 sec, 13mm (=19mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D5600
Lens:	TAMRON SP AF 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical IF B001N
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	13mm (35mm equivalent: 19mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+2/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 11.5 (Windows)
Show full info

Stats: 1,517 views