Abstract
Within north-eastern Australia, the northernmost karst areas, Mitchell–Palmer and Chillagoe, are characterised by spectacular serrated limestone towers. The towers are densely cavernous and contain over 1000 caves, which are mostly joint-controlled mazes of rift passages developed on one level, with entrances are on the sides of towers. Passages frequently connect upwards with grikes, so daylight chambers are common. The towers may have originated in the early Mesozoic, but development of the caves within the towers, as well as the surface karren features, occurred once the tropical monsoonal climate, with its pronounced wet and dry seasons, became established across northern Australia.
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Webb, J.A. (2023). North–Eastern Australia. In: Webb, J., White, S., Smith, G.K. (eds) Australian Caves and Karst Systems. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24267-0_7
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