Macquarie Island 1968: Plateau seastacks

From an old slide. This was taken on the plateau of Macquarie Island, somewhere about 300 metres above sea level. I was impressed by these rocks, looking so much like the sea stacks (see my earlier coastal shots).

Years later, geological research showed that Macquarie Island is unique in being the only place in the world where an active mid-ocean ridge is actually rising above the ocean surface and exposing rocks from the earth's mantle. In geological terms the island is very new (8-10 million years) : no wonder I saw "sea stacks" on the plateau! Macquarie Island was added to the World Heritage List in 1997 because of its geological importance and uniqueness.