Strange Circle of dead vegetation

Not sure about that...the area is not burnt. Just sucked of moisture perhaps!

Definately a lightning strike, seen them many times, the ground doesn't burn where it strikes, it just kills all the vegatation.

Hi Rosss,

What do you think happened? Did the lightning extract all the moisture away instantaneously or did it extract nutrients from the soil and in consequence over time the vegetation died?

The was no sign of lighting remnants, such as this one which I found a few years ago.

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so what makes that a 'lightining strike" not a "silly" question but interested as to the reason ..
Cheers
Joe

That's what happens when sand/soil is fused by the heat generated by 100 000's of volts. I found that east of Hyden and had it confirmed by Geologists I was working with. There's a name for it too however can't recall it now.

I have seen numerous examples now over the years.

The sample I have would sh atter if I threw it on the pavers, it's very porous.

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Hi Equinox,
Don't know why everything dies on a lightning strike. How I know about this is many years ago when we had a sugar cane farm our area was bad for lightning strikes and we found all these dead circles in the blocks of cane and thought it must have been some sort of disease, But when it was inspected by the local mill inspectors they said it was common in our area, but could not offer any explanation as to why the vegetation died.

maybe an """ Earth Freckle"""

Those aliens that make crop circles have now started on spinifiex...

I agree with you Wozzie, here's nobody out there so what else could it be except a pace mat for Julia and Wayne Swan trying to work out what's going on.


Regards
Paul R

Well that's probably true Gary :)

LOL

You may be on the right track, with the bird anyway - maybe a fungus carrying bird??

Thanks bungarra, that's a few votes for fungus.

I wonder how it would have got there, blowing in the wind, or maybe a bird?

Cheers
Alan

Hi Alan

Wind or bird carrying it would both be plausible...........or the spores could have been lying latent for years and for whatever reason some soil conditions or one of the pieces of vegetation weakened or was stressed for whatever reason and succumbed to an attack ...........enabling the fungus to multiply and strengthen rapidly and in sufficient numbers to radiate outwards and overcome the surrounding areas (that may also have been under stress for example.... moisture)

maybe what stopped the outward spread was a rainfall event that allowed the vegetation to respond and grow and overcome the attack....

or maybe the attack is slow and insidious and is still slowly happening and spreading and another visit to the site in years to come may show it still radiating outwards?

my theories anyway

Graeme

form of "die-back" as found in forests (Jarrah Die-Back) maybe perhaps .....
Next time....... would be interesting to get some soil samples, dont need much, and get a lab to do some tests, should be able to get CSIRO to do it in the name of "rescearch" say one from middle, one every 4 feet out and one right on the rim and one outside of it ....... now that would have been interesting eh ....