Harvesting machines leave swirling crop marks in stubble on the wheat fields of the Crete Senesi, southeast of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. The undulating landscape in parts of the Crete Senesi (Senese Clays) was caused by water erosion to soft clay and sand deposits left millions of years ago by a sea of the Pliocene Epoch. The clay, also known as mattaione, is sometimes moulded by nature into a ‘lunar landscape’ of grey-white hillocks, mounds and cliffs. often with no topsoil or vegetation.
The Crete, Tuscany, Italy: harvesting machines leave spectacular stubble patterns in the wheatfields of the Crete Senesi, south-east of the ancient city of Siena. The undulating landscape found in parts of the Crete Senesi (literally ‘Senese Clays’) has been caused by unrelenting water erosion to soft clay and sand deposits left between and million years ago by a sea of the Pliocene Epoch. The clay, also known as mattaione, has in some places been moulded by nature into a landscape of grey-white hillocks, mounds and cliffs often bereft of topsoil and vegetation. Although the Crete does include settlements such as Asciano, Buonconvento and San Giovanni d’Assa, its centre is taken up by the Accona Desert, a semi-arid area usually receiving less than 600 mm (24 in) of annual rainfall.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Crete Senesi, The Crete, near Siena, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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