Elizabeth Springs
Elizabeth Springs is a complex of artesian springs with mineral-rich waters located approximately 300 km southeast of Mount Isa and 15 miles south of Warra in western Queensland , Australia .
In the spring complex, 34 springs are distributed over an area of around 1500 to 400 m on 101 ha . The springs can dry out from time to time and are surrounded by no, few plants or well-grown vegetation or by open water. In the Great Artesian Basin , the largest drinking water basin on earth, which covers about 20% of the Australian land area, there are only 600 artesian springs, which are in 12 main groups.
The salt and calcium-containing groundwater of the Great Artesian Basin moves slowly, about five meters a year, so the age in the center of the basin is estimated to be about a million years. The area around the springs consists of sand, clay and plant remains that have accumulated like small volcanic cones.
Flora and fauna
A number of plants and animals evolved in Elizabeth Springs' isolated sanctuary , including Australia's only freshwater Keelback snake ( Tropidonophis mairii ), freshwater clams , and the Elizabeth Springs goby ( Chlamydogobius micropterus ) found nowhere else. These endemic fish, only 60 mm in size, live only in the larger springs and are distributed over the entire spring area when there is heavy water or rain.
Because of its extremely significant ecological and evolutionary quality, the site was declared an Elizabeth Springs Conservation Park and the headwaters were entered on the Australian National Heritage List on August 4, 2009 .
Web links
- National Heritage Places - Elizabeth Springs . Information from the Australian Department of the Environment (in English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ environment.gov.au ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( MS Word ; 829 kB): Elizabeth Springs, in English, accessed on October 3, 2011
- ↑ ehp.qld.gov.au : Elizabeth Springs goby , in English, accessed October 3, 2011
- ↑ environment.gov.au ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 365 kB): Greant Artesian Springs: Elizabeth , in English, accessed on October 3, 2011
Coordinates: 23 ° 20 ′ 25.7 ″ S , 140 ° 34 ′ 55.3 ″ E