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Rainforest Crater Lakes
- Lakes Eacham and Barrine are explosion craters, known as a maars created when
rising lava came into contact with ground water. The resulting steam caused a
violent explosion as it burst through the rocks on the surface producing a
crater. Little volcanic material is produced by this sort of explosion. It forms
a low ridge around the crater.
- The craters of Lakes Eacham and Barrine may have
been formed as recently as 10,000 years ago- their explosive creation are
remembered in the stories of local indigenous people.
- After the explosion. water
collected in the craters forming the lakes, which are up to 65m deep. The weight
of this water has caused the surrounding rocks to sag, creating a much larger
crater and lake. Wherever the water is able to drain out of an explosion crater,
a swamp, rather than a lake, forms.
- Other maars - Lake Euramo. Bromfield Swamp
and Lynch's Crater -- are up to 200,000 years old.
Script: Courtesy of Environmental Protection Agency
Aboriginal History:
- A Ngadjonji story describes the creation of three volcanic crater lakes-
Yidam (Lake Eacham), Barany (Lake Barrine) and
Ngimun (Lake Euramoo).
- 'Two men broke a taboo and angered the rainbow serpent, a major spirit of
the area. The earth roared like thunder and the winds blew like a cyclone.
The ground began to twist and crack and there were red clouds in the sky
that had never been seen before. People ran from side to side but were
swallowed by a crack which opened in the earth.'
- Interestingly, in the course of this story, the country is described not
as rainforest but as open scrub. This observation is supported by pollen
records.
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