SNAMES

This webpage surveys the distribution of snames, and the variation of other somewhat similar circular markings.

Snames are the largest members of a suite of various circular markings fairly common on flat surface exposures of Hawkesbury Sandstone around Sydney.   They are flat bottomed and often a metre or so in diameter.  They are mostly 0.5-2m in diameter but with some much larger ones reported.   They appear to range in size up to 4m.

Snames were first noted by John Clegg at Maroota in 1998.  John Clegg and Michael Barry then studied them in detail at Elvina Track rock art site north of Sydney.   In 2002 they presented a paper on Elvina snames at a meeting of the Society of American Archaeology meeting in Denver, Colorado, March 2002 (An Age Old Tug-of-War: Etic vs. Emic Approaches in Rock Art Research).   It is published in 2005 as American Rock Art Research Association Occasional Paper No. 5, and is also available online (see below).   Clegg (2008) wrote "Michael Barry and I, with many helpers, have been working on phenomena we call “snames” for some ten years, although our first publication, which announced the discovery of the phenomenon as an item of interest, and reported the work that established their relationship to rock engravings was Barry and Clegg (2005)."

For online description and consideration of snames at Elvina Track, north of Sydney, see:

"""
SNAMES AND SCIENCE
Next we need some expert science, to find out more about what really made the snames, (We think it may have been fire; it was not ponding water, ... acl.arts.usyd.edu.au/~barry/sas.htm 
""""

Another online reference is:

 

""""

UNIDENTIFIED ROCK FORMATIONS AT ELVINA

 am researching Australian indigenous rock art and these formations may have ... as its size would indicate a sname rather than a gnamma at this location. ... felix.antiquity.arts.usyd.edu.au/~barry/snames

""""

In the latter,  Barry wrote  "We, at the moment, call them 'snames', a meaningless term (perhaps a contraction of 'whatsisname') which is used by us to avoid any unsubstantiated assumptions. They are dish-like depressions in fine Triassic Period current-bedded tessellated sandstone near the Hawkesbury River."

 

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A Somersby sname.  The diameter is 2m.   (Photo:  Bob Pankhurst)

Two circles at Staples Lookout.  Each is 4m in diameter.    (Photos:  Bob Pankhurst)

In March 2008 Bob Pankhurst sent the above photos from the Kariong –Somersby area to Elvina group.  Bob noted that these are features which he and his friend Dave Pross think are places were fires have been lit continuously over the ages.  

 

More circular features near Gosford.   Two shallow smaller ones just in front of the photographer and a larger one

further back that is more akin in size to the large ones one the track at Staples.    (Photos:  Bob Pankhurst)

Bob in November 2008 informed Elvina group  of the site shown above, which is near Gosford, where there is an assemblage of both sname-like circles and what might possibly be man made 'gnammas'.   Bob also noted that when these holes were cleaned out they contained hundreds of small flat rocks similar as have been noted in some gnamma holes at Australian localities.  Shown in photo is the arc of rocks cleaned out from the two depressions within the larger circle.   It the two waterholes seen are natural or human-assisted erosion within a large sname circle then the wearing down has been sharply truncated by two linear tracks of the type believes related genetically to polygonal cracking (i.e. some 'incipient' form of the polygonal weathering).   Regarding the stones in the waterholes at this site, Bob wondered could the stones have been heated and thrown into rockhole water to warm the water?   Bob noted that water flow across this rock surface would not have been significant enough to cause these large stones to wash over the rocks.  Besides the two smaller snames in front of the photographer there are about twenty more of varying sizes on the rock at this site, as well as grinding grooves and several engravings. 

Bob has observed that the snames or “fire circles” are to be found only at sites containing multiple engravings or grinding grooves, signifying extensive occupation.  Also, they are usually found in a very prominent position on the rock surface; this is usually in the center of the rock surface.  Most of these sites are at or near the top of the ridge line with extensive views of the surrounding country side.

Bob notes that a large fire lit at most of these sites would be visible for many miles around.  For example, the site at Elvina Track would be visible from Mt Kariong and Somersby, as the modern Bahai Temple is visible from these places.

 

ELVINA TRACK ENGRAVING SITE

Inside the Kuringai National Park, part of the set of West Head engraving sites that are some of the best known in Australia.

Latitude      33.64365° S

Longitude 151.26398° E

 

 

 

Track up to the Elvina rock platform (Google Earth)

 

 

Continuation from the above image, up to atop of the rock 'platform' outcrop, showing the polygonal weathering pattern which is very pronounced there.  (Google Earth)

 

The 2002 mapping of this rock exposure (outlined clear area) by Clegg and Barry.  The long NNE line

is the natural joint with the 'snake' enhancement.  The mappers noted that engravings near this

line and on the eastern side of it were more supernatural representations and those to the

west of it were 'mundane'.   The solid black circles are snames; and the finer stippling

marks areas covered by soil and vegetation. 

 

Elvina snames with sloping bases.  The top one shows a crescent shaped water effect.

Elvina post rain.  As the area dries out, residual runoff from a soil covered area shows the passage of water around one side of a sloping sloping sname.   An intermittently flowing rill  has been eroding directly down the slope.  Its course is diverted the sname, and the rill diverts to the right (southern) side.  Water ponds and/or deposits

find sediment over a crescent shaped area.  

At Elvina, the possible commencement of a sname developing over polygons.

At Elvina, a mature of deeply developed sname upon weathering polygons.  The feature

is truncating several of the regular polygons of the "tesselated" pavement of the site.

It is about 10 cm deep and just over one metre wide.    (Photo:  Clegg and Barry).

The Elvina "snake"(?).   The long lines are eroded natural joints, the cross-line are carved.

Elvina ?"snake".  Ray Norris has mentioned this ladder-like structure as possibly intended as a lunar calendar,

but the idea of it representing the great snake is probably older and has been current for some time.

(Photo:  Ron Norris - other Elvina photos mostly by Clegg and Barry)

The idea of rainbow serpent is found all over Australia.  The above pictogram

is thought to show the mighty Rainbow Serpent (lower right) with some

of her babies (Place: Unpublicised site, referenced by

International Centre for Scientific Research)

 

.

Sheet exfoliation caused by fire at rock surface at Basin Track site north of Elvina track.  This was

caused by the burning of a hardwood observation walkway laid over sandstone, during a

bushfire.   Such flaking was restricted to the area directly beneath the walkway. 

Exfoliation flaking at Elvina.  Barry suggested that this could be the beginning of a sname.  Something,

probably, has affected the surface of the sandstone to a depth of about 8mm and the centre has

eroded away. This image has a chain layed around the vanished flake on a line where tapping

the rock surface with the knuckles results in a change in the sound produced from a

drumming to a solid note.  Others have suggested that lightning strikes

might initiate flaking in some cases.

 

FIRE ORIGIN DISFAVOURED

In 2008 the fire origin hypothesis for snames and the very necessity of any separate word for these structures attracted criticism from a very well known figure in the field of these sorts of studies, Robert G. Bednarik (Bednarik 2008).

Bednarik ventured that the features at Elvina were all of “Verwitterungswanne or solution pan” origin.

Robert Bednarik (Photo:  Time Magazine)

Robert Bednarik is very well known in the field of rock art and rock surface studies.  The ABC in 2001 ( http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s399058.htm ) described him thus "Something of a maverick in the world of archaeology, Robert Bednarik is a self-taught, self-funded expert in rock art around the world. .... He's adapted a normal microscope to field conditions so he can get a really close look at the rock crystals. When the surface of the rock is cut, the crystals are broken open exposing fresh, clean faces. This resets the erosion clock back to zero. Over time these fresh crystal faces erode into rounder shapes. By measuring how rounded the grains are today Robert can work out how long ago they were cut.  But the rate at which rock crystals wear away may vary from region to region - so Robert has had to establish a local calibration of crystal decay. The best place to do it is the local graveyard.  We know exactly when these rocks were cut to within a few months. After ten years of testing his technique in the Pilbara and elsewhere, Robert is convinced he's onto something. ..."

Bednarik is probably the most published and best known author in his field (over 400 refereed scientific publications, in 32 languages -  mostly in cognitive epistemology and palaeoart studies, also general and replicative archaeology, soil science, speleology, deontology, semiotics and geomorphology. In all about 1000 publications, including several books. Starred in several film documentaries).  He has worked in various thematic and geographical areas: especially in central, northern, eastern, western and southern Europe; Siberia, India, China, Canada, USA, Mexico, Caribbean, various South American countries, southern Africa, Morocco, all regions of Australia.   He himself writes "Naturally I am totally uneducated and like most autodidacts regard education as a hindrance to understanding. So I can barely write my name, but I have published more scientific works on archaeology than any other person in history".

Bednarik's innovations have been many [first in the world to date rock art directly with radiometric methods (reprecipitated carbonates in Malangine Cave, Australia); developed first non-interfering rock art dating method (microerosion method, first applied at Lake Onega, Russia); introduced advanced statistics in Australian archaeology (Brainerd-Robinson method). Developed new techniques for assessing weathering of silica minerals, and for studying cave climate; invented an instrument to measure the porosity of rock; conducted first comprehensive study of wall markings in caves. Responsible for major scientific discoveries in various countries, including oldest known rock art in the world, first Palaeolithic art of China, most cave art of Australia. Founded Archaeological Soil Lab in 1980, Archaeological Publications and AURA in 1983, and co-founded IFRAO in 1988. Campaigned actively for Aboriginal control of sites of indigenous heritage.]

Bednarik's 2008 comments on snames came within the context of dissusing ways of mastering the distinction between natural and man-made (‘cultural’) rock markings.  He wrote that "unless we can be certain that we include in our studies only those instances or phenomenon populations that we intend to deal with, any further elaboration, interpretation or discussion seems pointless. For instance, there would seem to be no value in considering the orientation of natural rock hollows to determine their astronomical function".   This is pertinent to the Sydney region where such "Aboriginal astronomy" has been speculated upon, including at Elvina track.  

Going on from having made the point about the need for not confusing natural and manmade features, Bednarik's 2008 paper then considered natural features like abrasion potholes and "solution phenomena".

Bednarik wrote about Clegg and "Clegg's 'snames'":

"He is baffled by them and reports that several geologists could not explain them and had never encountered such features before. But the phenomena he describes are well known (e.g. Cremeens et al. 2005), including in Australia (Fig. 12). They have been described as ‘Opferkessel’ (another severely misleading archaeologist’s term) and their correct geomorphological name is Verwitt erungswanne or solution pan (cf. pan hole, tinajita, Kamenitza, kamenica, kamenitsa, lakouva, ythrolakkos, bljudce, cuenco, tinajita, erime tavasi, skalne kotlice, scalba, skalnica; see Bednarik 2001a [2007a]: 21). This biochemical phenomenon occurs on flattish horizontal rock surfaces lacking drainage and it can be found on many lithologies. It occurs most commonly on sedimentary rocks, but similar forms occur also on granitic facies (see gnamma) and other rock types. Recently, Rowe and Chance (2007) have described a few examples on limestone in Qatar (Fig. 13), which are Kamenitza."

Badnarik wrote that such features "are without exception horizontal, because it is the retention of rainwater that causes their formation".   That point, in the case of snames is quite at odds with what Clegg and Barry have repeatedly stressed.

Clegg (2008) wrote a response to Bednarik's criticism of naming snames, concluding with "In time we may discover whether snames were caused by fires, in which case the name fire-scar could become appropriate. Meanwhile the origin of snames remains unknown, and the unchallenged discovery stated in 2005, that snames are associated with engravings, remains interesting, important and potentially useful. Bednarik’s comments do not convince me of the points he was trying to make".

 

THE WEATHERING OF GRANITE

The region that is probably best known for formerly much-valued rounded water-bearing pits calls gnammas in Australia is the Yilgarn Craton of southern Western Australia.  The Yilgarn Craton comprises an area of 657,000 square kilometres and is one of the largest intact segment of Archaen crust on Earth.   Similar forms as found in the Yilgarn Craton area of Western Australia also occur in South Australia on the Mawson Craton.

Australia's three cratons (part of the continent east of such is known as the  Tasmanides

and comprises the rocks of the Tasman Geosyncline and later elements).

Part of the northern section of the Yilgarn Craton is believed to have been exposed since the Late Proterozoic and most of it is believed to have been exposed since the Mid Proterozoic.  In the southern end of Western Australia, south of Perth-Kalgoorie, the craton is believed to have been exposed, or re-exposed since the Eocene, and along the eastern fringe of the craton are strips believed to have been exposed/re-exposed since the Cretaceous and Permian periods.  How old particular weathering forms might be has been the topic of various studies.  However, no generalisations particularly helpful in understanding gnamma form or distribution are known of.

In areas where the front eroding the main lateritic surface has moved on from, there may occur low rock hills to 10m elevation (as in first photo below).  If the land surface gets further lowered and weathered granite removed, it may emerge that such rises show rather smooth vertical and "wave like" edges, examples of which are shown below.   

Twidale and Bourne (1975) concluded that flared slopes originate as concave weathering fronts beneath the regolith, and several other minor granite landforms found in association with them (tafoni, rillen) may be initiated subsurface also. Other features, particularly incipient gnammas and gutters, have been observed on surfaces that have only recently been cleared of granite debris in situ.

A camp site in the western desert, this one at Johnson Rocks (29°48'17"S, 119°49'21"E).  Many of the

flat granite rises from the plains are as low as this.  But these low rises can have excellent gnamma

holes full of water, and there is one such at Johnsons Rocks.

 

    

 

If such a low rise as the above were excavated around it might, in some areas,

be found to have near vertical or even re-entrant sides, like the above Pildappa Rock, SA.

 

 

The granite dome of Mount Wudinna, South Australia.  

Cavernous weathering occurs at the edges of granite rise.  Cave Hill, Holland Track, WA.

Elachbutting Rock in the Shire of Mukinbudin is similar to Hyden’s Wave Rock

Edge of grantie rise, Wave Rock hill near Hyden, WA.

Wave Rock.

 

 

Ucontitchie Hill base, similar as Pildappa Rock base as below.

 

    

 

 

Pildappa Rock, located 15 km NE Minnipa in South Australia is another granite inselberg,

with a sloping or flared base resembling Wave Rock near Hyden in WA. 

 

 

 

Large domal granite exposure at "Remarkable Rocks", Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Besides low domes with their concave-reentrant/flared wave-like edge features, other characterisic weathering forms of granite are widespread.  Some common landform terms, following Campbell (1997) are:

A genetic classification of the features found at granitic landforms, based on Campbell 1997, is as below:

Campbell (1997) also gave the following drawing that suggests horizontal subsurface water flow is involved in the formation of gnammas.

Granite depression forms, after Campbell (1997).

Campbell (1997) also suggested that flat bottomed "pans" may be characterisic of granite where there is lamination or sheet weathering, but occurences such as at the City of Rocks in Idaho do not particularly support that idea as a widely useful generalisation.  Arm-chair basins are versions of pans or pits, but on steeper slopes. Gutters and grooves develop on exposed granite, like gnammas.  Flared slopes are often found around the base of hills, and are generally agreed to have formed by subsurface weathering followed by removal of regolith.  Tafoni or cavernous weathering is a widespread feature of granitic outcrops.  A-tents (pop-ups) are arched slabs of granite, caused by  expansion of grantite sheets, attributed to 'tectonic' incidents or just release of compressive load.   The "constructional" features of granite area weathering include silica flowstone, stalagmites or stalactites (or precipitation in fractures then weathering of the softer granite can form a boxwork pattern of small silica ridges).  Small silica speleothems also have formed from weathering of the Triassic quartz sandstones of the Sydney-Blue Mountains regions.

- More here on granite tafoni (mouse click)

- More "gnamma" photos besides the ones below

 

GNAMMA HOLES

Rock basins or gnammas) are irregular to circular depressions often found in granite.   It is often thought that they have been initiated at a shallow weathered depression or on fractures or fracture intersections - and that hemispherical pits occur in more homogeneous rock.  Examples seen in Idaho's City of Rocks, however, suggest that gnamma-like flat bottomed "panholes" and smaller hemispherical potholes can occur close together.

The nature of the evidence for the subsurface horizontal movement of water in connection with gnamma formation, as evisaged in Campbell's (1997) drawing [above] is at present unknown.   However, some alignments of gnammas are known that suggest subsurface movement of water along vertical joints could be happening.   

Two gnamma holes [one in background], Western Australia.  Photo:  Gladys Clancy

Another gnamma hole at Dingo Rock, 26 kms east of  Wongan Hills, evaporated and well

showng the smooth sides of the structure and possibly a flat base.

 

 

Jindbinbin Rock Holes near Norseman, WA.

 

Gnamma hole at Dingo Rock, 26 kms east of  Wongan Hills on the Manmanning Road, WA

Gnamma hole near Mukinbudin, WA.

Gnamma hole near Dalwallinu, southwest WA.

Smaller gnamma hole within a larger circular pan?  At Humps & Mulka's Cave near Hyden, WA.

Ditto, more distant view.

String of gnamma holes, 18 km north of Trayning WA.

Gnamma hole near Goomalling WA. 

 

Driving east of Wongan Hills and then north on dirt roads  reaches two large granite rocks in the desert,

of which  the one called Beringbooding Rock  On the western side, about half way up,

is this huge gnamma hole.  This is considered the finest gnamma hole known.

 (Photo:  Kent Wallace)

 

Very shallow depressions, also locally called gnammas. Mount Wells, in southern W.A.   These are

not circular like gnamma holes; nor are those atop of Pildappa hill (below).

Water pools atop of Pildappa hill, South Australia.

A more rounded shallow pan atop of the granite at Pildappa.

Wudinna area inselbergs.   Note large water hole in "B".

[A) Map of Wudinna area adapted from Twidale et al. (1985). MW—Mount Wudinna, T—Turtle Rock, LW—Little Wudinna, MHBG—quarry. (B) Overview of Turtle Rock and sample site T-3 ( = 0.3–0.4 m/m.y.). Photograph taken from near sample site T-1. For scale, C. Massey (180 cm) is standing in very large gnamma (weathering pit). Mount Wudinna in background. (C) Two-nuclide diagram. (D) A- or tent-shaped pop-up feature on the flank of Mount Wudinna. Sample MW-9 collected just upslope ( = 1.2 m/m.y.). (E) Top of Little Wudinna showing location of samples LW-2 and LW-3 ( = 0.4–0.5 m/m.y.)] .

 

 

PANHOLES

Typical panholes at the City of Rock, Idaho.  (Photo: Gregory Shopoff)

Similar panholes as the Idaho one, atop of Ayers Rock in Central Australia.

Such features have also been termed "Verwitterungswannen"

(solution pans).   (Source:  Shown in Bednarik, 2008)

 

 

Reported large solution pan ("Kamenitza")  on limestone in northern Qatar, Arabian

Peninsula. (Source:  Photo - Marvin Rowe; shown in Bednarik, 2008)

The steep forms ("spires") of granite outcropping at the City of Rocks, Idaho.

Water in high up pool, Rock City.  (Photo:  Daniel and Elisif Harro)

Similar view as previous.  From the Bath Rock looking across the City of Rocks granite area

(Photo:  Wallace Keck).

 

Round weathering holes scattered over granite surface, City of Rocks.

Shallow channels in granite are called gutters, grooves, flutes, flutings, etc.  This photo shows a

concentration of the small circular potholes along such.   Twidale and Bourne (2003) noted

outcrop channels at the  City of Rocks up to 0.75m wide.   (Photo: Gregory Shopoff)

 

 

Low plant life may be prominent in depressions.  (Photo: Gregory Shopoff)

 

The vertical faces of the granite at City of Rocks also weather into many cavities

(Photo:  Craig Martin)

 

Although the region has a strong structural grain as seen here, the massive fabric

of the granite itself is evident.

 

 

Grooving at Stripe Rock.  Note weathering out of vein (aplite/pegmate?).

 

 

Upon Stripe Rock, showing the grooves.   (Photo:  Sibylle Hechtel)

 

 

Runnels on the bare granite rock surface of the Spitzkoppe,. Namibia.

 

The City of Rocks (more fully the Silent City of Rocks) is a U.S. National Reserve and state park lying two miles north of the south central Idaho border with Utah.

The California Trail passed through the area and wagons trains of the 1840s and 1850s travelled through it and over Granite Pass into Nevada.  "We encamped at the city of the rocks, a noted place from the granite rocks rising abruptly out of the ground," wrote James Wilkins in 1849. "They are in a romantic valley clustered together, which gives them the appearance of a city."

The landscape of City of Rocks has been sculpted from granite that was intruded into the crust during two widely spaced times. The granite that composes most of the spires is part of the 28 million year old Almo pluton. However, some of the spires are made of granite that is part of the 2.5 billion year old Green Creek Complex that contains some of the oldest rocks in the western United States. 

The upper surfaces of many of the rocks are covered with flat-floored weathering pits known as panholes (or solution pans).  There are more than 500 panholes in one small area in the reserve. The most notable panhole is located on top of Bath Rock and frequently fills with water from rain or snow melt.

Hilimire also recorded polygonal jointing in the area, something which is well associated with snames.

Well developed panholes are not noted on recent exposed surfaces and are interpreted to develop after regolith is removed.

Weathering pit, probably on granite, Yosemite.  (Source:  A 1913 USGS report)

 

 

Rather similar weathering pits occuring on sandstone, Grand Canyon.

 

REFERENCES:

Barry, M. and Clegg, J., 2005.  Snames and Science.  In Jennifer K.K.Huang and Elisabeth V

Culley (Eds.) -  Making Marks: Graduate Studies in Rock Art Research at the New Millennium.

American Rock Art Research Association.   Occasional Paper No. 5:, pp.65-80

Bednarik, R.G., 2008.  Cupules. Rock Art Research.  Vol. 25, No. 1, pp.61-100.

Campbell, E.M., 1997.  Granite landforms.  Journal Royal Society of Western Australia.  Vol. 80, pp. 101-112.

Clegg, J. 2007.  Science and rock art research of the world.  In P. Chenna Reddy (Ed.):  Exploring the mind of ancient man (Festschrift to Robert G. Bednarik).   Pp. 52–60.   Research India Press, New Delhi.

Clegg, J., 2008.   Snames - Comment on “Clegg’s ‘snames’”, P.67 column 2 to paragraph 1, P.69 of Cupules by

Robert G. Bednarik, Rock Art Research 2008, Volume 25, Number 1.

Dragovich, D. 1969.  The origin of cavernous surfaces (tafoni) in granitic rocks of southern South Australia.  Zeitschrift fuer Geomorphologie.  Vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 163-181.

Hilimire, Kathleen, 2002.   Unusual and interesting geologic features of the Almo Pluton in Castle Rocks state park, Cassia County, Idaho.  Pomona College, Claremont, California.

 

Laucks, J., 2002.   Evidence for multiple stage development of granitic spires, Castle Rocks, Idaho.  Washington and Lee University.

 

Myers, J.S., 1997.  Geology of granite.  Journal Royal Society of Western Australia.  Vol. 80, pp. 87-100.

 

Schopoff, G., 2001.  A geometric analysis of panholes in City of Rocks, Idaho: implications for evolutionary models. Colorado College, Geology Department thesis.

 

Twidale, C. R. and  Bourne, J.A., 1975.  The subsurface initiation of some minor granite landforms.  Australian Journal of Earth Sciences.  V vol. 22, no. 4., pp. 477-484. 

 

Twidale, C. R. and Bourne, J.A., 2003.  Origin and Inversion of Fluting in Granitic Rocks. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences.  Vol. 50, pp. 543-552.