Editing Flinders Ranges (section)

{{Short description|Mountain range in South Australia}}
{{About|the mountain range|the national park|Ikara–Flinders Ranges National Park|other uses|Flinders Ranges (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox mountain
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| name = Flinders Ranges
| native_name =
| other_name =
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| etymology =
<!-- *** Image *** -->
| photo = Flinders Ranges SA 5434, Australia - panoramio (21).jpg
| photo_caption = The Flinders Ranges
| photo_size =
<!-- *** Country *** -->
| country = Australia
| state = South Australia
| region =
| district =
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| border =
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| highest = [[St Mary Peak]]
| elevation = {{convert|3842|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}<ref name=EB>{{cite book|title=Britannica Concise Encyclopedia|date=2008|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|isbn=9781593394929|page=682|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ea-bAAAAQBAJ&q=%22st+mary+peak%22&pg=PA682|access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref>
| coordinates =
| range_coordinates = {{coord|30|55|S|138|37|E|type:mountain_region:AU_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| length = {{convert|265|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}<ref name=Schultz>{{cite book|last1=Schultz|first1=Patricia|title=1,000 Places to See Before You Die|date=2011|publisher=Workman Publishing|isbn=9780761168713|page=658}}</ref>
| length_orientation = north/south
| width_km = | width_orientation =
| area_km2 =
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| geology =
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| map =South Australia
| map_caption =
}}
The '''Flinders Ranges''' are the largest mountain ranges in [[South Australia]], which starts about {{convert|125|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} north of [[Adelaide]]. The ranges stretch for over {{convert|265|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} from [[Port Pirie]] to [[Lake Callabonna]].

The [[Adnyamathanha|Adnyamathanha people]] are the [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] group who have inhabited the range for tens of thousands of years.

Its most well-known landmark is [[Wilpena Pound|Wilpena Pound / Ikara]], a formation that creates a natural [[amphitheatre]] covering {{convert|31|sqmi|km2|order=flip|abbr=on}} and containing the range's highest peak, [[St Mary Peak]] ({{convert|3842|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}}). The ranges include several [[national park]]s, the largest being the [[Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park]], as well as other [[protected area]]s.

It is an area of great geological and palaeontological significance, and includes the oldest fossil evidence of animal life was discovered. The [[Ediacaran]] Period and [[Ediacaran biota]] take their name from the [[Ediacara Hills]] within the ranges. In August 2022, a nomination for the Flinders Ranges to be named a [[World Heritage Site]] was lodged.