The lush green oasis of Witjira-Dalhousie Springs stands in stark contrast to the barren sand dunes of the Simpson Desert and the Stony Plains that surround them. The springs are an outlet of the vast Great Artesian Basin, which stretches under the aforementioned regions and much of central Australia. Water has been trapped underground for up to 3 million years before emerging through one of 80 mound springs. Mound springs form when water is funneled up through a fracture in the Earth’s surface, depositing mounds of calcareous deposits. The water…
