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Mawson-Spriggina Rocky Knobs Carry Grass-Trees and Cypress Pine

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Mawson-Spriggina Rocky Knobs Carry Grass-Trees and Cypress Pine Flinders Ranges Bush Walks 4.6 Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies may be seen on the Continue uphill to 6.0 km mark and Spriggina lookout. largest of The Pinnacles. If you see them please don’t disturb. These agile animals with their striped tails are Geosite 7 Spriggina floundersi: this ridge gives you a view active in the early morning or evening. The top of these down into a valley floor of a ‘landscape’ model of Spriggina one of the fossilised segmented flatworms Mawson-Spriggina rocky knobs carry Grass-trees and Cypress pine. discovered by Dr. Reg Sprigg. They were found in the 4.5 Geosite 5 mineral information about the breccias at Ediacara Range overlooking Lake Torrens to the west of the Pinnacles: the main Flinders Range. Most details of the worms' 4.4 A stand of Curly Mallee. structure were lost in the fossilisation process, but Spriggina appears to have had a front and rear end as 4.2 Checkpoint M1 - The Pinnacles car park. shown in this much enlarged model. Cross the car park and follow yellow markers on the opposite slope. Mt Oliphant and Mt Elva are visible in the direction of Arkaroola and, in the opposite direction, Sprigg Knob. 4.0 Track crosses a stony slope to reach a small saddle and enters a patch of Curly Mallee on a white dusty slope, 2.0 The obvious domes at the start of Spriggina Ridge are before descending into a creek bed. established for remote viewing of the night sky. Spriggina floundersi One hundred metres on, cross the road. 1.8 The vegetation of the low ridge you are on carries Mulga woodland, with a variety of shrubs - Sennas with 3.6 Track winds across bare slopes vegetated with Dead bright yellow flowers, Lobe-leaved Hopbushes with bright Finish, crossing small creeks, some with Dryland Tree- red 'hops' in winter and spring and the Rock Fuchsia-bush tree. with mauve flowers in spring and early summer. Included in this walk are features of the research of two geologists who have a long association with the northern Geosite 6 Skillogalee Dolomite: 1.4 The silver dome of Arkaroola's Dodwell observatory Flinders Ranges. It follows the Mawson Valley and returns 2.8 Attractive stand of Curly Mallee, which is only found is clearly visible and, to the south in a low range on the along the Spriggina ridge, which gives you good views of in the north-eastern Flinders Ranges. horizon, is Mt Warren Hastings. the surrounding country. 2.4 Remains of an old aerial survey marker possibly 1.0 An interesting plant is sometimes here; called Camel Douglas Mawson studied the sequence and relationship established to determine the boundary between the original Poison. This small willowy tree is short-lived and never of rock layers in the Flinders Ranges, which arose from sheep stations of Arkaroola and Balcanoona. Track climbs occurs very prolifically; male flowers are borne at the top compression and folding of sediments deposited in the to an old track junction. of the stem with the female flowers (which give rise to the Adelaide Geosyncline between 800 and 500 million years ribbed yellow-green bell-shaped fruit) below them. A few ago. Reg Sprigg, a student of Mawson’s, discovered fossils individuals have been seen near here and near the village, of the Ediacara biota in rocks of the Flinders about so have a look around. 600 million years old. These are the earliest worms and 0.8 Continue down hill and cross the campground road to jelly fish fossils to have been found. reach ... Mawson Valley is eroded into the relatively soft 0.0 Checkpoint M2 - road junction. sediments of the Opaminda Formation and is flanked to the north by a ridge of Blue Mine Conglomerate. These coarse Follow the main road back to the village (about 0.6 km). feldspathic sands and gravels were laid down 900- 800 million years ago, after they were eroded from an island land mass to the north. Over them were deposited Walk is in a location managed by Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. It is presented here by the Walking Trails the calcareous Opaminda Formation shales and then the Support Group www.walkingtrailssupportgroup.org.au Wortupa Quartzite which forms the range to the south. See this website for more information on walks When these sediments were buckled into mountain in the Flinders Ranges including geological guide notes. ranges, compaction and heating took place. Deep seated rocks thus became molten and forced their way to the Interpretation is based on the Royal Geographical Society surface, solidifying as whitish or pinkish granitic rock, Curly Mallee (Eucalyptus gillii) grey- of South Australia’s guidebook exposed today as Sitting Bull, The Pinnacles, Tourmaline ish rounded leaves in pairs, cream Explore the Flinders Ranges. Hill and The Needles. 2015 Distance and time: 8.0 km circuit from the The rugged profile of Dinnertime Hill can be seen to the Village: allow 4 hours. north, Sprigg Knob is straight ahead. Altitude Range: 330 m (Arkaroola Village) Geosite 2 Wortupa Quartzite: and Geosite 3 Blue Mine to 496 m (Spriggina Ridge). Conglomerate: are located close together, distinguishing Access: Start at the Arkaroola Village trail- rocks on the north and south side of the valley. head at the road junction. Track: Generally grades are gradual, rough 7.2 Mt Elva is visible to the east behind the Oliphant and steep on the road between 5.8 to 6.0 km. astronomical observatory; Acacia Ridge and Griselda Hill are clear. The walk is above the creek, most of the way. For your safety The creek bed is eroded into the greyish green, calcareous This is an AS2156 Class 3 walk in a Opaminda Formation siltstone, which extends some way natural area; beware of inherent hazards up the lower slopes. The vegetation is different from that Walk in a party of four, advise a reliable on the quartzites at the crests of the ranges – and includes person of where you are going and when Dead Finish, Elegant Wattle, Corkbark, Rock Fuchsia- you expect to return bush, Curly Mallee. Cypress-pine and Mulga grow near Wear strong comfortable boots and take the crests. adequate food and clothing Take at least 2 litres of water per person, 6.8 Creek bank; two tea trees occur here – the Dryland more if it is hot Tea-tree, with short dark-green leaves and White Tea-tree Protect yourself from the sun and carry a with silver-grey foliage growing in the creek bottom. First Aid Kit 6.6 The pink nose of Sitting Bull becomes evident on the horizon. The nearby Gum-barked Coolibah is a common Seasons come and go, and plants and ani- tree of hill slopes in the northern Flinders Ranges. mals mentioned in the notes may not always 6.4 The Curly Mallee growing here is also characteristic be there. of the region, particularly on calcareous and dolomitic A plant list is available on the website soils. www.walkingtrailssupportgroup.org.au 6.2 The large mass of Mt Oliphant is evident on the northern skyline. 6.0 Geosite 4 Sitting Bull: Geologist and Antarctic explorer, Douglas Mawson gave Sitting Bull its name in Notes read for an anticlockwise circuit 1945. Sitting Bull, The Pinnacles and The Needles starting at Checkpoint A1 with distances (located in the neighbouring National Park) are the much marked every 200 m decreasing as you eroded remnant cores or plugs of granitic rock which proceed. intruded, as a result of volcanic activity, through many 8.0 Arkaroola Village Trailhead – Checkpoint A1- Above you is a cliff of Wortupa Quartzite with a few thousands of metres of overlying sediments some at the road junction. Northern Cypress-pines and occasional Mt Lofty Grass- 400 million years ago. The plugs are composed of pink or Walk in a westerly direction past the motel units, trees. On the scree and rubble slopes below it are Mulgas white crystals of feldspar and clear or white crystal quartz. and Rock Fuchsia-bushes. Young Mulgas among the dead following marker posts. Broken blocks are caused by hot water and gases as ones came up in 1974 after good rains. Their small size intrusion occurred. 7.8 Geosite 1 rocks of the Opaminda Formation: reflects the slow growth rate in arid areas. The ridge opposite to the north is Blue Mine Conglomerate (as is 5.6 to 5.4 near these two markers are Corkbarks, which 7.6 Downslope from here is the attractive Curly Acacia Ridge) are well able to survive on this dry exposed slope. Other Mallee and there are number of local features to hardy species nearby are Dead Finish and Elegant Wattle. recognise. 7.5 Below you are the softer calcareous shales of the The Pinnacles are visible ahead. Opaminda Formation with a grove of Black Oak. This tree Starting by the village you can see (magnetic bearings) - is often found where there is likely to be slow movement 4.8 A good spot to observe The Pinnacles. On the dolomitic shales surrounding them is Porcupine Grass and Griselda Hill 113° 1 km of the ground surface layers (such as on these stony Curly Mallee, some of which is infested with reddish-gold Acacia Ridge 94° 3 km slopes) which encourages the development of new trees festoons of mistletoe. Mt Elva 3° 2 km from suckers. Mt Oliphant 338° 2 km.
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