The Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland.
The world's first coral reef structures were created some 500 million years ago, but the Great Barrier Reef is relatively young, only about 500,000 years old. They're found in shallow water, and most prefer tropical waters, forming on hard surfaces in the ocean. Large numbers of colonies form and link by tissue, with resources (such as food) shared between them.(image source: http://www.earlham.edu/~larkiph/graphics/Great-Barrier-Reef%20old.jpg)
Composed of over 2,900 individual reefs, it is the largest coral reef system in the world. It stretches for over 1,600 miles in the Pacific Ocean. What results is miles upon miles of beautiful displays of Earth art – formed by the Earth, from the Earth. Coral reefs are actually produced by living organisms, made of a carbonate mineral known as aragonite. They attract all forms of life, such as thousands of species of fish, several species of whales, dolphins and sea turtles, and even dozens of species of birds. This is the make-up for some remarkable artwork.(image source: http://www.australia2000travel.com/Assets/cns-great%20barrier%20reef-%20starfish.jpg)
Ayers Rock, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territories, Australia
One of the many sites I wish to visit someday is Uluru, or Ayers Rock, located in the southern part of the Northern Territory. It is a large sandstone rock, an ‘inselberg’, that stands 1,142 feet high and measures 5.8 miles in circumference. Slow erosion of the original mountain range, from wind and flooding, have produced some unique formations in the surface of the sandstone. It even appears to change color as different light rays strike it at different times of the day and year.
The original landowners of Uluru were, in fact, Aboriginal tribes; it’s sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It is fascinating to note the Aborigines did a lot of Earth art themselves, ranging from rock engravings, to bark painting and even stone arrangments. In my next post, I will delve deeper into the history and superstition behind these works.
(image source: http://www.terragalleria.com/pacific/australia/ayers%20rock/picture.aust2509.html)
4 comments:
I love seeing this geo-art! But am more interested in the Aboriginal art as Earth or Land art ... "Geoglyphs" ....
I really thought that this kind of stuff would be considered Earth
Art in the beginning... it is beautiful and art in and of itself, with "mother nature" as its artist. I am now getting the idea, though, that it has to be man's manipulation or interpretation of natural things...
I love the picture of the Great Barrier Reef! It reminds me of the times I have gone SCUBA diving, I really hope to one day dive at the Great Barrier Reef. I love the color of the water with the reef. The contrast is great and it looks so life-like. Some of the best earth art is art that makes you want to go visit the site, and I would LOVE to go there someday!! Good Choice!
I get what you're talking about Jessie...when I first thought 'Earth Art', I thought about natural formations from the Earth. But now I realize that is just one aspect. There are other forms, with man using his influence. I find this type of Earth art, however, most special. Because it was allowed to form on its own and we can only appreciate its beauty as an outsider.
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