Inverloch is a seaside town located in Victoria, Australia. It is located 143 kilometres (89 mi) south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway on the Bass Highway at the mouth of Anderson Inlet, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Known originally for the calm waters of Anderson Inlet, it is now also known for the discovery of Australia's first dinosaur bone. The Eagles nest is located a few kilometers along the coast between Inverloch and wonthaggi.
In the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods (160-96 m.y.a), Australia and Antarctica began to split apart. As they moved apart a large basin (or 'rift valley') was formed by subsidence. This basin was then slowly filled by up to 3 000 metres of Early Cretaceous sediments (sandstones and mudstones) which were deposited by rivers and lakes. Accumulated swamp material would later be compacted to form the coal seams in the Wonthaggi area. During this period the vegetation was dominated by conifers and ferns and dinosaurs were common. A number of important fossils from this period have been found near Koonwarra.
Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm (0.0025 in) with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the appearance of fissility or parallel layering. This finely bedded material that splits readily into thin layers is called shale, as distinct from mudstone. The lack of fissility or layering in mudstone may be due either to original texture or to the disruption of layering by burrowing organisms in the sediment prior to lithification. Mud rocks, such as mudstone and shale comprise some 65% of all sedimentary rocks. Mudstone looks like hardened clay and, depending upon circumstances under which it was formed, it may show cracks or fissures, like a sun-baked clay deposit.
Mudstone
Bururong Marine National Park contains extensive intertidal platforms and subtidal rocky reefs that are uncommon along the Victorian coast, seperated by sandy beaches. They have arisen as a result of the normal weathering and erosion processes affecting coastal sediment formations, including wind, waves, wetting and drying, salt crystallisation, sea water solution and runoff. These processes mainly operate above low tide level and are inhibited below specific intertidal levels, thus accounting for the almost horizontal shore platforms of the area. The rock platforms extend offshore, with a gradual increase in depth to a maximum of 12 - 15 meters deep, several kilometres seawards.
The Eagles Nest is made up of a mixture of the sandstone and mudstone. It has been weathered for many hundreds of years. Wind and battering seas have formed this 'Nest' through erosion and what was originally connected to the cliff is now as you see it today.
These coastal waters share the cool waters of Victoria's central and western coasts but, unlike those shores, are relatively protected from the oceanic south-westerly swell by the position of distant King Island. The gently sloping rocky seafloor is also unusual in Victoria. The diverse marine habitats at Bunurong include extensive intertidal rock platforms which are covered in pink coralline algae, barnacles and shells, as well as fields of Neptune's Necklace, a green algae that looks like strings of beads The underwater reefs of Bunurong look different to those in other parts of Victoria. Crayweed, the large brown seaweed that covers many Victorian reefs, is mostly absent. Instead a multitude of more unusual plants and animals flourish in a rich underwater 'garden' of seaweeds, with an abundance of brightly coloured sea-stars, feather stars, crabs, large marine snails, and many smaller animals.
Q1 On the information board, shore platforms and cliffs exposed along this coastline consist of what and how many years ago?
Q2 Can you make out the difference in the mudstone and sandstone? Describe the colours and the texture of the 'Nest' in your own words.
Once you complete the EarthCache requirements you can post your find without delay, as per the EarthCache guidelines. You will also need to verify your find by sending me a message and provide your answers to the questions.
For a link to my profile, click here - Na'wal
Thanks for visiting this Earth Cache. Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to attached photos to your log (optional).