Moon rise over the Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu), Tennant Creek, Northern Territory Australia

• Contributor: Eric Emerson / Alamy Stock Photo
• Image ID: BE43GB
• File size: 48.6 MB (1.7 MB Compressed download)
• Releases: Model - no | Property - no
• Dimensions: 5050 x 3367 px | 42.8 x 28.5 cm | 16.8 x 11.2 inches | 300dpi
• Date taken: 27 August 2007
• Location: Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu) Wauchope Tennant Creek Northern Territory Australia

More information

The Devil's Marbles are made of granite, which surfaces like a little geological island in the desert, surrounded by incredible amounts of sandstone. The granite is thought to be formed about 1.7 billion years ago as a result of the hardening of magma within the earth's crust. Thick layers of sandstone on top of it put a lot of pressure on this granite. After the folding of the earth's crust, which lead to the lifting of the granite, and the erosion of the sandstone the granite came to surface. The pressure was gone which caused the granite to be able to expand; cracks formed, and it fell apart in big, square blocks.