Sunday 12 June 2016

Southern Ocean sculpts Australian Coastline

The Southern Ocean is the southern most waters of the world’s Oceans with deep waters mainly at depths of 4,000 to 5,000 metres.  The Ocean is notorious for having some of the strongest winds and largest waves on the planet. It is also home to the largest current in the world ocean, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.


Waves crash into the Southern coastline
  

Australia’s southern coast is at the northern end of the Southern Ocean and the coastline is subjected to high energy waves which constantly batter and shape the area into stunning formations. 



The battering waves create small fissures in the rock and over time cracks form or caves are formed  that extend inland. The land is eroded due to the contant wind, rain and waves and structures like the 12 Apostles, Bay of Islands, the Grotto and Loch Ard Gorge are separated from the mainland.


  1.  Wave crashes through a crackline in the coastline

The Grotto


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