Carnarvon Gorge is incised through sedimentary and volcanic beds on the western side of a great anticline. Though the spectacular gorge walls are Precipice sandstone, there are other beds above including Evergreen sandstone and higher still are the Consuelo basalt flows that form the surface of Consuelo Tableland, and Mt Percy. Rainfall that infiltrates the basalts recharges the groundwater in the underlying sandstones. This groundwater then sustains the permanent water in the creeks flowing on the gorge. However the variable rainfall is sometimes torrential resulting in the seepage-fed placid, permanent pools of the gorge becoming raging torrents, moving boulders, soil and cutting swathes through the vegetation on the gorge floor.
Fallen logs are seen here in the background, and leafy debris is present in the foreground. The treeferns may survive the torrent because of stem flexibility and because of its internal growth point which allows the treefern to recover quickly.
They are appealing both because of their vibrant green and their lacey foliage, and also because in this central queensland region summers can be very hot, thus the string of quiet pools in the gorge with this green vegetation is an oasis.
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