An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations .
10-595: The Bunda Cliffs , also known as the Nullarbor Cliffs , are a coastal scarp on the southern coast of Australia, extending from the western coast of South Australia to the south-eastern corner of Western Australia . The Bunda Cliffs extend for 210 kilometres (130 mi) along the shore of the Great Australian Bight near its northern extremity. The cliffs extend from Head of the Bight in
20-460: A fault displaces the ground surface so that one side is higher than the other, a fault scarp is created. This can occur in dip-slip faults , or when a strike-slip fault brings a piece of high ground adjacent to an area of lower ground. Earth is not the only planet where escarpments occur. They are believed to occur on other planets when the crust contracts , as a result of cooling. On other Solar System bodies such as Mercury , Mars , and
30-886: The Eyre Highway east of Eucla and west of Nullarbor roadhouse. Geologically the cliffs are made of Cenozoic age fossiliferous limestone , part of the Eucla Basin geologic formation. They are the eastern portion of the Great Southern Scarp, an 820-kilometre-long formation which extends across the Eucla Basin. The cliffs are subjected to high-energy waves from the Southern Ocean, and are receding northwards. The same formation extends from Eucla to Madura in Western Australia where it forms
40-577: The Moon , the Latin term rupes is used for an escarpment. When sedimentary beds are tilted and exposed to the surface, erosion and weathering may occur. Escarpments erode gradually and over geological time . The mélange tendencies of escarpments results in varying contacts between a multitude of rock types. These different rock types weather at different speeds, according to Goldich dissolution series so different stages of deformation can often be seen in
50-472: The base of the plateau . Scarps are generally formed by one of two processes: either by differential erosion of sedimentary rocks , or by movement of the Earth's crust at a geologic fault . The first process is the more common type: the escarpment is a transition from one series of sedimentary rocks to another series of a different age and composition. Escarpments are also frequently formed by faults. When
60-870: The cliffs are in protected areas. Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area extends eastwards from the Western Australia-South Australia border. Yalata Indigenous Protected Area covers the eastern portion of the cliffs. Eucla National Park protects the Western Australian portion of the cliffs. Far West Coast Marine Park includes the South Australian waters along the cliffs. 31°28′26″S 131°07′08″E / 31.47382985°S 131.11890657°E / -31.47382985; 131.11890657 Escarpment The terms scarp and scarp face are often used interchangeably with escarpment . Some sources differentiate
70-599: The east to Eucla, Western Australia in the west. There are some local cliff-line breaks towards the eastern and western ends, with a 160 kilometres (99 mi) uninterrupted cliff line from near the eastern end to a point 28 km west of the South Australia–Western Australia border. The cliffs are bounded on the north by the arid Nullarbor Plain , in a very sparsely settled area of Australia. The cliffs, which are some 60–120 metres (200–390 ft) in height, can be viewed from several viewing points along
80-717: The name of the Nullarbor coastal cliffs. The name was gazetted by the Government of South Australia on 2 October 2014 in response to a submission from the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources for approval to use it for a sanctuary zone in the Far West Coast Marine Park and refers to the extent of cliff line extending from the Western Australian border to the Head of the Bight . Most of
90-739: The scarp separating the Roe Plains from the Hampton Tableland , but in this section the coastline has moved away from the cliffs. The scarp in this area runs parallel to, and within sight of, the Eyre Highway. The Baxter Cliffs west of the Roe Plains are a further continuation of the escarpment, stretching for nearly 160 km along the coast. Bunda is an aboriginal word, which has been used in South Australia for
100-439: The two terms, with escarpment referring to the margin between two landforms , and scarp referring to a cliff or a steep slope. In this usage an escarpment is a ridge which has a gentle slope on one side and a steep scarp on the other side. More loosely, the term scarp also describes a zone between a coastal lowland and a continental plateau which shows a marked, abrupt change in elevation caused by coastal erosion at
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