Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 107
The beach at Melville Island, looking toward the Australian mainland.
minerals. If you pick up these pieces of mineral, dip them in water, and draw
them across the skin of your arm, you will leave a vivid red or yellow streak.
The Tiwi Islanders use the plentiful ocher for many kinds of decorations.
These pebbles of ocher are the product of a far more ancient set of events
than the arrival of modern humans. The gigantic iron deposits of northern
Australia date back to 2 billion years ago, when the fi rst free oxygen produced
by cyanobacteria combined with soluble iron in the oceans and resulted in
huge “red-banded” deposits. These deposits now help to supply the indus-
trial revolution with iron.
