A Case Study of Alpines in the Australian Alps
Alpine
Spatial Patterns and Dimensions * Location: Kosciuszko National Park covers 6,900 square kilometres and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. The park is located in the south-eastern corner of New South Wales, 354 km, southwest of Sydney, and is contiguous with the Alpine National Park in Victoria to the south, and the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory to the north east * Altitude: Treelines can occur over a great range of altitudes. * Size/shape continuity: the sub-alpine (snow covered in winter) and alpine areas but the truly alpine area, above the treeline,
Biophysical Interactions
The upland area of the Australian Alps is underlain by marine sediments. Then through denudation the area was worn down and dissected by different forms of weathering and erosion. Once the land was uplifted and exposed to the effects of weathering, the varying degrees of resistance to erosion offered by different rock types became important. Softer sedimentary rocks eroded far more quickly, leaving the more resistant rocks in the highest areas. Rivers and streams cut down through soft, sedimentary rocks to form deep, wide valleys and narrow gorges with spectacular waterfalls. The Australian Alps are ‘mountains with soil’ as distinct from many alpine ranges overseas which are ‘rock mountains’. Mountains on other continents are generally younger and steeper, and have been more heavily glaciated, all factors that contribute to the absence of soil. In the Australian Alps, low temperatures slow down chemical weathering of the various types of bedrock, thus slowing the formation of soil. At the higher elevations ice crystals form inside rock cracks (nivation), speeding up the mechanical shattering of rocks as the ice expands and opens up the cracks even more.
Dynamics of Weather and Climate
The climate of the Kosciuszko Alpine Area low temperature with an average mid-summer temperature often less than 10º Celsius and
Spatial Patterns and Dimensions * Location: Kosciuszko National Park covers 6,900 square kilometres and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. The park is located in the south-eastern corner of New South Wales, 354 km, southwest of Sydney, and is contiguous with the Alpine National Park in Victoria to the south, and the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory to the north east * Altitude: Treelines can occur over a great range of altitudes. * Size/shape continuity: the sub-alpine (snow covered in winter) and alpine areas but the truly alpine area, above the treeline,
Biophysical Interactions
The upland area of the Australian Alps is underlain by marine sediments. Then through denudation the area was worn down and dissected by different forms of weathering and erosion. Once the land was uplifted and exposed to the effects of weathering, the varying degrees of resistance to erosion offered by different rock types became important. Softer sedimentary rocks eroded far more quickly, leaving the more resistant rocks in the highest areas. Rivers and streams cut down through soft, sedimentary rocks to form deep, wide valleys and narrow gorges with spectacular waterfalls. The Australian Alps are ‘mountains with soil’ as distinct from many alpine ranges overseas which are ‘rock mountains’. Mountains on other continents are generally younger and steeper, and have been more heavily glaciated, all factors that contribute to the absence of soil. In the Australian Alps, low temperatures slow down chemical weathering of the various types of bedrock, thus slowing the formation of soil. At the higher elevations ice crystals form inside rock cracks (nivation), speeding up the mechanical shattering of rocks as the ice expands and opens up the cracks even more.
Dynamics of Weather and Climate
The climate of the Kosciuszko Alpine Area low temperature with an average mid-summer temperature often less than 10º Celsius and