Western Australia's ironstones - caught between a rock and a hard place!

A talk by Adrienne Markey, Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation. A presentation on the flora and conservation (or lack thereof) in banded ironstone formations, Western Australia. The landscape of much of the interior of Western Australia is characteristically subdued in topography, marked only by ranges of volcanic (mafic, ultramafic and felsics) and sedimentary rocks (banded ironstone formations and associated metasedimentary geologies). Whilst lacking the height and grandeur of the New Zealand Alps, these ranges are remarkable in that they interrupt the monotony of a vast, flat landscape and are composed of rocks formed well over two billion years ago. Some of these landforms have been a persistent topographic feature since the Cretaceous. Within these arid regions, they are a refuge for unique plants and floristic communities that thrive in microsites rich in trapped water and soils. Given the booming Asian economy and China's insatiable demand for mineral resources, these plants have found their existence perched on rocks of high quality iron ore to be extremely tenuous. This talk will outline current attempts to survey the vegetation of these ranges in the face of pressure from mining and grazing. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open. Dinner will follow at the Asian Chinese Restaurant, 43 Moray Place.