Carolina/Delmarva Bays in Australia?

[BarryRice]

Hey Folks,

Aligned, elliptical bays are interesting geological features that occur in the Carolinas of the USA, where they are referred to as "Carolina Bays", and farther north along the USA coast where they are called "Delmarva Bays".

Excluding silly theories from discussion, the two most likely explanations is that they result from some geological/erosion process (similar to processes that might create Mima mounds or patterned ground), or they are astronomical in origin (perhaps secondary ejecta).

I discuss all this stuff in more detail here:

www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq7280.html

But the reason for this posting is that recently, while looking at Australian landforms on GoogleEarth, I found something pretty impressive. Look at the image below---this is not something from the USA....this is in Western Australia, near
34 degrees 14' 39" S, 117 degrees 40' 46" E

Interesting, huh? Explore the area with GoogleEarth. There are lots more elongated, aligned wetlands to the east of this site, too. Most appear to be salt pans.

[marcel]

Hi Barry,

It looks very much like something we call a "Pingo-ruïne".

Basicly, what happens is that in a condition of permafrost a tiny crack forms. The liquid groundwater under the permafrost is under pressure and pushes the topsoil up. A lens shaped ice-core is formed inside sort of a hill. In warmer periods water runs of and forms a very compact clay at the base of the hill. When warmer times are back to stay the ice-core melts and the water flows away. This collapses the hill leaving a more ore less circular depression within a rim of clay.

Because clay splits along it's inner structure the cracks will form more or less along a line giving often several of these objects close together.

[BarryRice]

Hey Marcel,

Indeed. Permafrost processes are great sources for "patterned ground."

Do any ever form aligned elliptical wetlands over a landscape level, like you see in the USA or in the above Australia photos?

Here is a GoogleEarth screen grab I just made of some South Carolina Bays for comparison.

[ICPS-bob]

Although not always the best source of reliable information, Wikipedia has a nice discussion about Carolina Bays.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_bays

[marcel]

We don't get this large a grouping in The Netherlands Barry. Three or four is the most. We were on the edge of the last ice age (the permafrost line runs roughly midway through the country). In Northern Europe it does happen on the scale of your pictures. Perhaps our Scandinavian friends have some pictures?

[wadave]

Hi Barry,

These are most definately salt pans in agricultural areas

Dave.

[Richard Davion]

The 'Int'resting' Thing or Point about R Meteorite Derived-Origin is that The 'Basic'-Type of Meteorite is Usually Half-Nickel / Half-Iron.

Generica-australis is-R Somewhat halophytic, Nickeliferrous Mycorrhiza.

Therefore Dionaea Growing on The Edges of Bays Near-The-Coast Would Thus Have The Possibility of Being Supported by This Mycorrhiza, ... 'Assuming'-of-course that The-Meteorites Were of 'Average'-Origin.

One could-of-Course 'Test' for The-Presence of Nickel at Various Depths and Locations from The-Centres of Each-Bay.

[BarryRice]

Hi Richard,

Actually, the most common form of meteor is a simple stony meteor. Nickle-iron meteors are, however, more commonly FOUND, because they look so other-worldly. In comparison, stony metors look pretty dull.

[Richard Davion]

'Sorry' ... I-Was Just-Quoting What-was Written-on The Large 'Half'-Sliced and Somewhat 'Polished' Meteor at The 'Entrance'-Foyer of The-South-Australian-Museum. Perhaps Others Have 'Seen'-it as-Well or-Could Google-it!!!

For Someone with-R 'Poor'-Memory Anecdotes & Such Incidences Seem to Stick in-My-Mind Like Iron-Filings to-R-Magnet!!! >(*U^)<

****
By-The-Way The-Second-Organism: "Zincuprea-cinabarelegans" Appears to-be R Sewer-Gas Organism Living-off socalled 'Dephlogisticated'-air ... or-Air that-has Had The Oxygen Removed or 'Chewed'-away by Other-Organisms ... which Basically Leaves R-HIGH-Nitrogen Environment ... from-which The-Element May-be 'Fixed', Per-se. This 'Appears'-to-Explain Why VOID-Pots Were so-Good for Cephalotus.

Considering The-Somewhat Obscure if-'Not' Clandestine Porosity of-Quartzite-Sand One-Wonders if The Grains-Themselves & The-Intertices They-Contain ... May-be 'Considered' as Miniture Void-Pots in-Themselves??? >(*~*)<

Copper is Normally Locally-Abundant but Aquatically Low in The Coastal-Plain Environment Because-it Tends to fall-out as so-called: "Bog-Copper". It-Has-to-be in The GREEN Copper-I Form and Apparently Mostly-likely Comes from Insect-Haem ... rather-than from The-Soil-Profile, Itself, Per-se.

Iron-IV or so-called 'Pearlescent'-IRON Forms R Gel or 'Gley'-like Material in Rough-Work-ups ... but Because it doesn't 'Shatter'-Readily and Resets Rapidly upon-Standing is Probably 'Best'-Thought-of or-Described as-R: "SOL". It's Quite-Stable ... Smells-like SOAP but Feels-like WAX but-is Strangely Quite Hydrophilic. It's-Stableness in-Comparison to-Chromium and Valency-Relation to-Cerium Has 'Not'-been Overlooked and Parafin-Wax-like 'Feel' is-being Kept-in-Mind When Considering Generica-australis' Prediliction for Lignified-Hemicellulose Materials [Scleriphyll] as-Well-as Candle-Wax, Rubbber-Bands Etc..

[jj1109]

Jul 28, 2009 19:29:47 GMT BarryRice said:

In comparison, stony metors look pretty dull.

like well... rocks, maybe? ;D it's not like they grow on trees, you know!