Swirling strips and rippling stripes left in wheat field stubble after the July harvest in the undulating Crete Senesi landscape south-east of the ancient city of Siena in central Tuscany Italy.
The Crete, Siena Province, Tuscany, Italy: swirling stripes and rippling strips left in stubble after the July wheat harvest in a field in the undulating Crete Senesi landscape south-east of the ancient city of Siena. The distinctive terrain in parts of the Crete Senesi (literally ‘Senese Clays’) varies between ridges and valleys of arable farmland such as this, as well as ‘lunar landscapes’ of white cliffs and clusters of grey-white hillocks, usually bereft of topsoil and vegetation. The countryside has been moulded by unrelenting water erosion on soft clay and sand deposits left between and million years ago by a sea of the Pliocene Epoch. 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 24 inches (600 mm) of annual rainfall.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Crete Senesi, The Crete, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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