How and when these strange structures in Western Australia formed

There are a number of strange structures in Western Australia called Pinnacles that have long been the subject of debate as to how and when they got there.

There's a vast field of towering spikes of rock that stick out from the sand in Nambung National Park, 200km northwest of Perth , in Western Australia , reports IFL Science .

There are three main scientific theories as to how the pillars were formed.

The first is that they were formed by gradual yet extensive weathering of the area's Tamala Limestone.

The second and third both involve plants, with one saying they're the result of buried tree casts filled with limestone that become exposed by wind erosion and the other involves root casts, proposing plants accumulated limestone in their roots while alive which remained after they died.

And a new study in Science Advances from Dr Matej Lipar and his team has given its own twist on those theories and has suggested when exactly these pillars formed.

They suggest the Pinnacles were formed around 100,000 years ago during a wet part of the region's history because of iron-rich nodules found on the pillars, which they say act like a geological time stamp.

In a statement , Lipar said: "We found this period was locally the wettest in the past half-million years, distinct from other regions in Australia and far removed from Western Australia's current Mediterranean climate.

"An abundance of water during this time caused the limestone to dissolve, forming the distinctive pillars of the Pinnacles and creating the ideal environment for the iron nodules to develop."

But the team admits much is still unknown about the Pinnacles and there's much more to explore.

The darkest theory comes from the Yued people who believe the pillars are the hands and fingers of young men who were warned by elders not to enter the area, but did so anyway, and were sucked up into the sand as a result.

Crikey.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.