The Painted Desert is in the Far North of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It is north-east of Coober Pedy, in the Arckaringa Station pastoral lease, not far from the homestead. It is notable for its distinctive

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

s, mountains, and geological formations. Not far from here on the way to

Oodnadatta Oodnadatta is a small, remote outback town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located north-north-west of the state capital of Adelaide by road or direct, at an altitude of . The unsealed Oodnadatta Track, an outback roa ...

, there are large areas of ground covered with mica. The entire region is desolate and made up of soft, fragile rock.

Geology

The Painted Desert was seabed 80 million years ago. As the land rose, some of the rock has eroded away, leaving the Arckaringa Hills in many shades of orange, yellow, and white shale on the slopes. The Mirackina Range of

s extends to the west. The Arckaringa Hills is of geological and biological significance as it is also the site of rare plant species and the southernmost extent of the range of Australia's largest monitor lizard.

References

* Far North (South Australia) Deserts of South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub

Geology

See also

References