Tamala Limestone is the geological name given to the widely occurring eolianite

Eolianite

Eolianite or aeolianite is any rock formed by the lithification of sediment deposited by aeolian processes; that is, the wind. In common use, however, the term refers specifically to the most common form of eolianite: coastal limestone consisting of carbonate sediment of shallow marine biogenic...

 limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 deposits on the western coastline of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, between Shark Bay

Shark Bay

Shark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...

 in the north and nearly to Albany

Albany, Western Australia

Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....

 in the south. The rock consists of calcarenite

Calcarenite

thumb|250px|The [[Pietra di Bismantova]] in central [[Italy]] is an example of calcarenite formation.Calcarenite is a type of limestone that is composed predominately, more than 50 percent, of detrital sand-size , carbonate grains...

 wind-blown shell fragments and quartz

Quartz

Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...

 sand which accumulated as coastal sand dunes during the middle and late Pleistocene

Pleistocene

The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....

 and early Holocene

Holocene

The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...

 eras. As a result of a process of sedimentation and water percolating through the shelly sands, the mixture later lithified when the lime content dissolved to cement the grains together.

Exposed limestone formations at The Pinnacles Desert

The Pinnacles Desert

The Pinnacles are limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia.-Formation:The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life...

 near Cervantes

Cervantes, Western Australia

Cervantes is a town in Western Australia. The town is located just off Indian Ocean Drive about north north west of the state capital, Perth in the Shire of Dandaragan Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Cervantes had a population of 503. The town was named after a ship that was wrecked...

 clearly show the limestone formation through the sedimentary process. At its thickest, the Tamala Limestone comprises the massive Zuytdorp Cliffs

Zuytdorp Cliffs

The Zuytdorp Cliffs extend for about 150 km along a rugged, spectacular and little visited segment of the Western Australian Indian Ocean coast in Shark Bay. The cliffs extend from just north of the mouth of the Murchison River at Kalbarri, to Pepper Point south of Steep Point...

, up to 250 m high, extending for 150 km between Kalbarri, Western Australia

Kalbarri, Western Australia

Kalbarri is a coastal town in the Mid West region located 592 km north of Perth, Western Australia. The town is found at the mouth of the Murchison River and has an elevation of...

 and south of Steep Point

Steep Point, Western Australia

Steep Point is the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, located at . It is located within the Shark Bay World Heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia....

.

Commercial uses

Because of its ready availability, Tamala Limestone is used extensively for landscaping and building in Western Australia and particularly for the main population centre of Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

.

The two main sub-types quarried commercially are Carabooda Limestone and Moore River Limestone. The Carabooda type is from the Wanneroo

Wanneroo, Western Australia

The City of Wanneroo is a Local Government Area with City status, located in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. It is centred approximately north of Perth's central business district and forms part of the northern boundary of the Perth metropolitan area.The City's main commercial...

/Yanchep

Yanchep, Western Australia

Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 56 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. It was built by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1970s for the 1977 America's Cup...

 region close to Perth. It has a creamier colour and is slightly denser than Moore River limestone which comes from the area around Guilderton

Guilderton, Western Australia

Guilderton is a small coastal town north of Perth, Western Australia at the mouth of the Moore River in the Shire of Gingin.It was originally known as Gabbadah, an Aboriginal term meaning "mouthful of water" until its gazetting as a town in 1951...

and which is darker and more textured.