Henderson Cliffs, Beeliar Regional Park, May 2021 13

Tamala Limestone is the geological name given to the widely occurring

eolianite Eolianite or aeolianite is any rock formed by the lithification of sediment deposited by aeolian processes; that is, the wind. In common use, however, the term refers specifically to the most common form of eolianite: coastal limestone consisting ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

deposits on the western coastline of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, between Shark Bay in the north and nearly to Albany in the south. The rock consists of

calcarenite Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominantly, more than 50 percent, of detrital (transported) sand-size (0.0625 to 2 mm in diameter), carbonate grains. The grains consist of sand-size grains of either corals, shells, ooi ...

wind-blown shell fragments and

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

sand which accumulated as coastal sand dunes during the middle and late

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

and early

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

eras. As a result of a process of sedimentation and water percolating through the shelly sands, the mixture later

lithified Lithification (from the Ancient Greek word ''lithos'' meaning 'rock' and the Latin-derived suffix ''-ific'') is the process in which sediments compact under pressure, expel connate fluids, and gradually become solid rock. Essentially, lithificatio ...

when the lime content dissolved to cement the grains together. Exposed limestone formations at

The Pinnacles Desert The Pinnacles are limestone formations within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia. Features The area contains thousands of weathered limestone pillars. Some of the tallest pinnacles reach heights of up to 3.5 ...

near

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

clearly show the limestone formation through the sedimentary process. At its thickest, the Tamala Limestone comprises the massive

Zuytdorp Cliffs The Zuytdorp Cliffs extend for about along a rugged, spectacular and little visited segment of the Western Australian Indian Ocean coast. The cliffs extend from just south of the mouth of the Murchison River at Kalbarri, to Pepper Point sou ...

, up to 250 m high, extending for 150 km between

Kalbarri, Western Australia Kalbarri is a coastal town in the Mid West region located north of Perth, Western Australia. The town is located at the mouth of the Murchison River which has an elevation of . It is connected by public transport to Perth via Transwa coach se ...

and south of

Steep Point Steep Point () is the westernmost point of mainland Australia. It is located within the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, north of the state's capital Perth, in the proposed Edel Land National Park. It is also a part of the Shark Bay ...

Commercial uses

Because of its ready availability, Tamala Limestone is used extensively for landscaping and building in Western Australia and particularly for the main population centre of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. The two main sub-types quarried commercially are Carabooda Limestone and Moore River Limestone. The Carabooda type is from the

Wanneroo Wanneroo is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Wanneroo. Geography As it is on the Swan Coastal Plain, the Wanneroo wetlands stretch parallel to the coastline and to the north and south of the suburb. Education ...

Yanchep Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, north of the Perth CBD. It is a part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1 ...

region close to Perth. It has a creamier colour and is slightly denser than Moore River limestone which comes from the area around Guilderton and which is darker and more textured.

Usage

A very selective list from a 1984 publication from the

Geological Survey of Western Australia The Geological Survey of Western Australia is an authority within the Department of Mines and Petroleum of the Government of Western Australia that is responsible for surveying and exploration of Western Australia's geological resources. The ...

. *

Perth Mint The Perth Mint is Australia's official bullion mint and wholly owned by the Government of Western Australia. Established on 20 June 1899, two years before Australia's Federation in 1901, the Perth Mint was the last of three Australian col ...

Old Perth Boys School The Old Perth Boys School, located at 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, is the earliest government school building in Western Australia. The single-storey limestone building was designed by William Ayshford Sanford in 1852 and i ...

Old Perth Fire Station Old Perth Fire Station (Fire Brigade No. 1 Station) is located at 25 Murray Street, at its intersection with Irwin Street, in Perth, Western Australia. It was the first purpose-built fire station in Western Australia. It was opened in 1901 and ...

* Perth Gaol and Courthouse * Swan Barracks * St Mary's Cathedral, Perth * Winthrop Hall

References

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Commercial uses

Usage

See also

References

Further reading