ONETWOTHREE!

» Thursday, March 19, 2009 / -4:12 PM

The twelve apostles in Victoria,Australia

The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. Originally the site was called the Sow and Piglets. Muttonbird Island near Loch Ard Gorge was the ‘Sow’ and the smaller rock stacks the ‘Piglets.’ The name was changed in the 1950s to the more majestic "The Twelve Apostles" to lure more visitors even though there were only nine left.
The Twelve Apostles are between the towns of Port Campbell and Princetown on the Great Ocean Road. In the early 2000s a visitor centre was built on the inland side of the road to allow for easy parking and access to the best viewing area. Helicopter rides around the formations are also available.

Creation:
Existing headlands will eventually turn into the ‘apostles’ of the future.
1. Wave action erodes the cliff face, leaving harder rock as headlands.
2. Waves eat away the rock at sea level, forming caves on each side of the headland. The caves eventually meet up, forming an arch.
3. The arch collapses, leaving a rock ’stack.’
4. Further undercutting by waves and opening up of vertical cracks in the rock by rain and saltwater, gradually reduce the stack to a low platform or reef.

Erosion

The stacks have been formed by erosion, and are all different heights and thicknesses. A number have fallen over entirely as waves continually erode their bases. A 50-metre tall Apostle collapsed on July 3, 2005, leaving eight.
Another well-known feature in Port Campbell National Park to succumb to erosion was the 'London Arch.'
The rate of erosion at the base of the limestone pillars is approximately 2 cm per year

Posted on behalf of the rest of schnauzer.
-
jaimelynne