The Breadknife is a volcanic dyke in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It is nearly 90 metres high, but often is only 4 m wide, which is particularly rare. The Breadknife was part of a large

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...

, that first erupted about 17 million years ago and stopped about 13 million years ago. It is composed of

peralkaline Peralkaline rocks include those igneous rocks which have a deficiency of aluminium such that sodium and potassium are in excess of that needed for feldspar. The presence of aegerine (sodium pyroxene) and riebeckite (sodium amphibole) are indicati ...

trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...

. Nearby volcanic remnants include the Belougery Spire, Belougery Split Rock, Crater Bluff, Bluff Mountain and Mount Exmouth. A network of walking tracks are used to access the steep mountains and ridges surrounding the dyke. The shortest walk completely around the Breadknife is hard and steep, taking roughly five hours to complete.

Origin Story

A huge shield-shaped volcano formed as volcanic explosions occurred over millions of years. This shield volcano rose about 1,000 m and is now largely eroded, forming the

Warrumbungles The Warrumbungles is a mountain range in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The nearest town is Coonabarabran. The area is easiest accessed from the Newell Highway which is the major road link directly between Melbourne, Victoria ...

. The Breadknife was formed when hot

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

spread through a soft rock. When the magma solidified and became harder than the soft rock, erosion exposed a dyke.

In popular culture

Part of the video for singer

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's 1983 single " Let's Dance", took place in sight of The Breadknife. The village in the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Adventures of the Little Koala ''Adventures of the Little Koala'' (known in Japan as ) is an anime television series produced by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. It aired originally in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 4, 1984, through March 28, 1985, and then aired in the United ...

", took place within the shadow of The Breadknife.

References

Volcanism of Australia Extinct volcanism Miocene volcanism Igneous intrusions {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub

Origin Story

In popular culture

See also

References