Map Lichen In Austria Mountains, Tyrol Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Map lichen upon boulders along the Zamser Bach, mountain stream in the Tyroler Zillertal Alps in Austria. The map lichen or Rhizocarpon geographicum is a species of lichen, which grows on rocks in mountainous areas of low air pollution. Each lichen is a flat patch bordered by a black line of spores. Map lichen is a lichen widely used by climatologists in determining the relative age of deposits, e.g. moraine systems, thus revealing evidence of glacial advances. The process is termed lichenometry.