Spinifex-textured komatiite, Serpentine Bay, Kalgoorlie, WA

Collection Highlights | Updated 10 months ago

Spinifex-textured komatiite, 1.5 m long, from Serpentine Bay, south of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Spinifex-textured komatiite, 1.5 m long, from Serpentine Bay, south of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
WA Museum

This ancient komatiite lava from near Kalgoorlie has a texture like spinifex grass formed by the intergrowth of long platy crystals of olivine during cooling from around 1600˚C. Komatiites glowed white hot when they erupted and show that, around 2.5 billion years ago, the interior of the Earth was much hotter than today. 

Komatiite lavas host some of Western Australia’s largest nickel deposits.

Rock Collection