Stegamites from the Nullarbor Plain

Stegamites from Nullarbor Caves

Here are a few photos of a "new" (1991) speleothem from the Nullarbor called Stegamites ( Webb 1991).

Click on the picture for a 44Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that has fractured along its medial crack! Click on the picture for a 55Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that is covered in Heligmites!!

Click on the picture for a 54Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that is typical of the <0.5 m high ones. Note the smaller Stegamite almost at right angles combining with its larger brother Click on the picture for a 34Kb JPG photo of a part of the longest know Stegamite at present. In total it is 11m long but it "branches" at several points. It is only about 5-7cm high! Note the lens cap for scale and the "branch"/intersecting stegamite at the far end of the photo (sorry about the quality!)

Click on the picture for a 54Kb JPG photo of Jim Fyfe sitting next to the "fattest" know Stegamite at present. This photograph was taken by and © 1995 to Lindsay Hatcher. Click on the picture for a 56Kb JPG of a "ridge" like stegamite with a fractured medial crack.

Broken Small Ridge Stegamite showing structure

Click on the picture for a 61Kb JPG of a small "ridge" like stegamite that was found beneath a fallen block. It had broken in two halves down its medial crack and was completely detached from its base. This photograph shows half of the stegamite in place with the other half showing the base layering.

Broken Small Ridge Stegamite showing base structure

Click on the picture for a 57Kb JPG of the small "ridge" like stegamite in the previous photograph. This time the half of the stegamite is removed so that all of the base structure can be examined.

Click on the picture for a 52Kb JPG of an intersecting "ridge" like stegamite with a fractured medial crack.

Click on the picture for a 59Kb JPG of several small Stegamites. Gordon Howison is taking bearings along the ridge of the stegamites as part of an orientation survey that was conducted on 30 stegamites in Stegamite Cave (N-149). This survey indicated that they were not oriented in one particular direction but rather had a totally random orientation.

Click on the picture for a 33Kb JPG photo of the larger "more shield like" Stegamites (Side View).

Large Shield like Stegamite (Front View)

Click on the picture for a 67Kb JPG photo of the larger "more shield like" Stegamites (Front View).

Click on the picture for a 82Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite from Stegamite Cave. This classic stegamite has the flowstone surrounds that characterise stegamites as well as the red soil that pervades the cave.

	Click on the picture for a 44Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that has fractured along its medial crack!		Click on the picture for a 55Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that is covered in Heligmites!!
	Click on the picture for a 54Kb JPG photo of a Stegamite that is typical of the <0.5 m high ones. Note the smaller Stegamite almost at right angles combining with its larger brother		Click on the picture for a 34Kb JPG photo of a part of the longest know Stegamite at present. In total it is 11m long but it "branches" at several points. It is only about 5-7cm high! Note the lens cap for scale and the "branch"/intersecting stegamite at the far end of the photo (sorry about the quality!)
	Click on the picture for a 54Kb JPG photo of Jim Fyfe sitting next to the "fattest" know Stegamite at present. This photograph was taken by and © 1995 to Lindsay Hatcher.		Click on the picture for a 56Kb JPG of a "ridge" like stegamite with a fractured medial crack.