Thrombolites

A ride in the country toward Waroona took us past some fields that were beginning to show signs of lots of wild flowers. Unfortunately, I could not capture the scene in any sensible way with my pixel grabbing machine.

On the way home, however, I did find a fascinating place that I could capture: Lake Clifton.


You will recall that while on our visit to the Pinnacles, we stopped by Lake Thetis and say Stromatolites. These are layered structures slowly built up over time by cyanobacteria. Related to these are thrombolites. Thrombolites don't have the layered structure, rather they have lumpier inner structure and are more rounded. The shoreline at Lake Clifton is littered with this rounded formations.

Not only is the bottom of the lake covered with these in all directions, the lake has a beautiful color shading from deep blue in the depths to a bright yellow green.

On this particular day it was windy creating the bands of froth on the surface of the lake. The combination of color gradation, the thrombolites, and the accent of the wind whipped froth make a striking scene.

It is also interesting to note that thrombolites and stromatolites are rarely found. This portion of Australia is one of the few places in the world where they are located. Their predecessors are thought to have contributed to the production of oxygen in the atmosphere.

Thrombolites are found in only three places in the world. Two in Western Australia and one in New Foundland. We saw stromatolites and thrombolites in Lake Thetis and thrombolites here in Lake Clifton. So, it seems we've accidentally seen two thirds of the world's supply!