The story of this place
Standley Chasm (Angkerle) is a narrow gorge in the West MacDonnell Ranges, 50 kilometres west of Alice Springs. The chasm is only 3–8 metres wide in places but 80 metres deep, with vertical quartzite walls that glow vivid orange-red when the midday sun penetrates directly to the floor. This phenomenon occurs for approximately 30–60 minutes around solar noon (varies by season). The surrounding West MacDonnell Ranges provide extensive landscape photography: Simpsons Gap, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge each offer distinctive compositions. The ranges stretch 644 kilometres west of Alice Springs and contain some of the oldest rocks in Australia at approximately 2 billion years.