Over the boardwalk Jul 28, 2020

Over the boardwalk

In this shallow stretch of Shark Bay in Western Australia, a natural record of Earth"s history lies just below the water"s surface. Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve protects our planet"s biggest collections of stromatolites—small sedimentary rock towers built up over the centuries. Each layer captures fossils of the many microorganisms that populate our oceans. Some of the stromatolites in Hamelin Pool contain fossil specimens that are 3 billion years old. When you"re strolling down the boardwalk of Hamelin Pool, you"re walking over an unparalleled collection of biological history. The view of the Indian Ocean"s not bad either.

© Abstract Aerial Art/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 28, 2018Defying gravity on a swing ride
Jul 28, 2019Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
Jul 28, 2019Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
Jul 28, 2021A goldie gala
Jul 28, 2022Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park
Jul 28, 2023San Blas Islands, Panama
Jul 28, 2024Bathing huts in Skåne County, Sweden
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 6, 2023Computer Science Education Week
May 22, 2025International Day for Biological Diversity
May 31, 2025Knuthöjdsmossen, a nature reserve in Sweden
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
May 23, 2020Bask in the glow—It s World Turtle Day
Apr 25, 2025World Penguin Day
Jun 2, 2024National Gardening Week
Oct 13, 2020Where can you find a red fox?
Jan 4, 2020Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
Dec 12, 2024Poinsettia Day
Apr 20, 2018No, it s not a leaf. Happy Look-alike Day
May 6, 2023Azaleas blooming on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
Jan 27, 2023Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
Oct 29, 2018In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
Apr 17, 2019Happy birthday to the Peak!
Mar 12, 2021Ringing in the new year at Teotihuacan
Feb 26, 2019Snow on the temple
May 10, 2024Misool, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
Jul 3, 2021Diving into the underwater nirvana
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah
Aug 31, 2025Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska
May 12, 2019The parenting of a piping plover
Oct 19, 2020A cliff-hanging complex of temples
May 8, 2018Raise your hand for Teacher Appreciation Day
May 20, 2021Happy Bee Day to you
Jan 31, 2021A glittering diamond in the rough
Mar 13, 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
Nov 27, 2018The fantastic winter fox
Dec 28, 2020Wildcat in a winter wonderland
Mar 13, 2021All hail the king of shrubs