Optical illusion
An early morning at the Blue Mountains; Katoomba, Australia
Since my following photos will be from the Blue Mountains region, a small introduction to the area may be useful:
The Blue Mountains is a spectacular mountaineous region, about 80 km from Sydney. The area is huge - 11400 km2 - and largely a National Park. Consisting mainly of a sandstone plateau, the area is dissected by gorges up to 760 metres deep. The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalyptus forest. Heath-like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often contain temperate rainforests. There are also many hanging swamps with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. Wollemia nobilis, the "Wollemi pine", a relict of earlier vegetation of Gondwana, is found in remote and isolated valleys of the Wollemi National Park. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is inhabited by over 400 different forms of animals. Among them are rare mammal species like Spotted-tailed Quoll, the Koala, the yellow-bellied Glider, and Long-nosed Potoroo. There are also some rare reptiles, like the Blue Mountain Water Skink. There are also some dingos in the area, which form the top predators and hunt for grey kangaroos.
The name 'Blue Mountains is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by mie scattering which occurs when incoming ultraviolet radiation is scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named.
The Greater Blue Mountains area was - and rightly so - listed as UNESCO World Heritage Area in 2000.
(With thanks to Wikipedia)
An early morning at the Blue Mountains; Katoomba, Australia
Since my following photos will be from the Blue Mountains region, a small introduction to the area may be useful:
The Blue Mountains is a spectacular mountaineous region, about 80 km from Sydney. The area is huge - 11400 km2 - and largely a National Park. Consisting mainly of a sandstone plateau, the area is dissected by gorges up to 760 metres deep. The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalyptus forest. Heath-like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often contain temperate rainforests. There are also many hanging swamps with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. Wollemia nobilis, the "Wollemi pine", a relict of earlier vegetation of Gondwana, is found in remote and isolated valleys of the Wollemi National Park. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is inhabited by over 400 different forms of animals. Among them are rare mammal species like Spotted-tailed Quoll, the Koala, the yellow-bellied Glider, and Long-nosed Potoroo. There are also some rare reptiles, like the Blue Mountain Water Skink. There are also some dingos in the area, which form the top predators and hunt for grey kangaroos.
The name 'Blue Mountains is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by mie scattering which occurs when incoming ultraviolet radiation is scattered by particles within the atmosphere creating a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by the abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named.
The Greater Blue Mountains area was - and rightly so - listed as UNESCO World Heritage Area in 2000.
(With thanks to Wikipedia)