‘A history of the Earth’: Twelve Apostles revealed to be as old as 14m years

Tectonic plate movements over millions of years have lifted and tilted the layers, with records of ancient earthquakes in the rocks Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Microscopic fossils embedded in limestone have helped reveal the true age of Victoria’s Twelve Apostles as 8.6m to 14m years old. The conclave of giant golden pillars is visited by 2.8 million tourists each year, a highlight for those travelling along the Great Ocean Road south-west of Melbourne. But where visitors see rocks rising out of the Southern Ocean, geologists see layers of history, said A/Prof Stephen Gallagher of the University of Melbourne. “We see layers, we see time, we see a history of the Earth.” Tectonic plate movements over millions of years have lifted and tilted the layers of underlying Gellibrand marl (15m years old) and the Apostles’ yellow and grey Port Campbell limestone, rocks formed since the mid-Miocene, he said. They are topped by a more recent layer of red-brown soil called Hesse clay. “The tectonic movements didn’t push up the Apostles perfectly straight,” he said. “Instead, they forced layers