The Bungle Bungle Range is one of the most extensive and impressive occurrences of sandstone tower (or cone) karst terrain in the world.
The plateau is dissected by a 100–200-metre (330–660 ft) deep, sheer-sided gorges and slot canyons. The cone-towers are steep-sided, with an abrupt break of slope at the base and have domed summits. How they were formed is not yet completely understood. Their surface is fragile but stabilized by crusts of iron oxide and bacteria. They provide an outstanding example of land formation by dissolutional weathering of sandstone, with removal of sand grains by wind, rain and sheet wash on slopes.
The banding of the domes is due to differences in clay content and porosity of the sandstone layers: the orange bands consist of oxidised iron compounds in layers that dry out too quickly for cyanobacteria to multiply; the grey bands are composed of cyanobacteria growing on the surface of layers of sandstone where moisture accumulates.
The track is 53 kilometres long and usable only in the dry season (about 1 April to 31 December), 4WD vehicles advisable. Park entry fees apply as usual in all Western Australia Parks. (Single day entry pass costs $12 per car.)
Then you have to do the Cathedral Gorge walk, a 2km return walk to complete this earth cache. To claim the earth cache as a find please email me the answer to the following questions. Then feel free to log, but logs without an email will be deleted. If you are wrong I'll let you know.
Here are the three tasks:
1. During your walk to Cathedral Gorge: Have a closer look at the stripes of the bee hives. Describe the structure of the black lines in contrast to the red lines.
2. In the process of forming Purnululu a complex sequence of sedimentation, compaction and uplift happend. Can you find signs of these processes? Please describe your findings. (Hint: a keyword may be layering).
3. At the end of the walk you stand in Cathedral Gorge. Which erosional force formed it? Has the forming ended today?
Additional task if you like to see a little bit more of this fantastic landscape: go to S17° 29.122 E128° 22.730, only 200m off Cathedral Gorge walk. Look at floor bed of Picaninny Creek. In which orientation run the rills there? And the creek?
I'd love to see photos of you there but this is voluntary of course.
Enjoy!
Please stay always on the track and carry enough water with you!
Source of information: Wikipedia