The Wangi Falls is a segmented waterfall on the Wangi Creek. Wangi lies in the Litchfield National Park and is approximately 130km's southwest of Darwin near the town of Batchelor and covers around 1,500 sq km's.
The waterfall descends from an elevation of 84 metres (276 ft) above sea level via a series of segmented tiers that range in height between 41–52 metres (135–171 ft). Accessed by sealed road, the falls are found near the western boundary of the park. The plunge pool at the base of the falls is a popular swimming spot, however is often closed following significant rainfall due to sightings of crocodiles in the area
The Wangi Falls is located within the Pine Creek Geosyncline which consists of Early Proterozoic geological formations. The underlying geology of the study area is part of the Burrell Creek Formation of the Finniss River Group. The Burrell Creek Formation generally contains greywacke, siltstone, shale, minor conglomerate and occasional felsic volcanics. Some of these lithic materials may be suitable for the manufacture of stone tools. In this part of the landscape the Burrell Creek Formation occurs as a narrow band between the massive outcrops of younger Depot Creek sandstone that form the Tabletop Range to the east and Cainozoic colluvial sediments of sand, gravel and laterite to the west grading to Quaternary alluvium of the Reynolds River catchment. The Depot Creek sandstone unit is part of the Tolmer Group formed in the Middle Proterozoic period and is comprised of massive cross-bedded quartz sandstone with pebble bands. Two Sisters Granite formations occur several kilometres to the west and contain granite and granodiorite lithics, whilst the Well Tree Schist formation adjoins the Burrell Creek formation to the north west of Wangi Falls. Lithics of the Well Tree Schist formation are comprised of hard slates containing mica, quartz and feldspars. At the the top of the plateau is sandstone. You can read how this helps the waterfall flow at the posted information sign.
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate (phyllosilicate) minerals includes several closely related materials having nearly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition. The nearly perfect cleavage, which is the most prominent characteristic of mica, is explained by the hexagonal sheet-like arrangement of its atoms.
Q1 Describe the colours of the waterfall rock escarpment from the posted coordinates. What is the flow of the waterfall like when you visited?
Q2 What type of waterfall is this? (read notes)
Q3 How does this waterfall flow all year round? (read info board at the coordinates)
*Please note* Check conditions before swimming at this spot. This Earth Cache might not be available all year round due to the Wet Season in the NT.
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