These unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts and other extrusive rocks.
- Australia 2002. Wandering Albatross on the background of the globe showing Australia, Antarctica and Macquarie Island.
Macquarie Island (1997)
Australia
Macquarie Island (34 km long x 5 km wide) is an oceanic island in the Southern Ocean, lying 1,500 km south-east of Tasmania and approximately halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent. The island is the exposed crest of the undersea Macquarie Ridge, raised to its present position where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate meets the Pacific plate.
|
|
It is a site of major
geoconservation significance, being the only place on earth where rocks from the
earth's mantle (6 km below the ocean floor) are being actively exposed above
sea-level.
These unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts and other extrusive rocks.
|
The Australian Antarctic Territory has a wide variety of wild life. Particularly the Macquarian Shag is endemic to the island.
Sources and link:
Other World Heritage Sites in Australia (on this site). Inactive links are not described on stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, Australia-section, for further information about such sites.
|
Revised 01 jul 2007 |
|
