Fairy circle (arid grass formation)

This article is about fairy circles, an arid grass formation; it is not to be confused with fairy ring.

Fairy circles are circular patches of barren land, varying between 2 and 12 metres (7 and 39 ft) in diameter, often encircled by a stimulated growth of grass. They occur in the arid grasslands of the Namib desert in western parts of Southern Africa and in a part of the Pilbara in Western Australia. Studies have proposed various hypotheses about their origins, but none have conclusively proven how they are formed. Theories include hypotheses that the activities of various types of termites affect growth or that competition between grasses naturally yields certain vegetation patterns.

In the languages of the Aboriginal Australian peoples who inhabit the Pilbara, they are known as linyji (Manyjilyjarra language) or mingkirri (Warlpiri language).

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