Fairy circle (arid grass formation)

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

A single fairy circle, Namibia
Fairy circles in the Marienflusstal area in Namibia

Fairy circles are circular patches of land barren of plants, varying between 2 and 12 metres (7 and 39 ft) in diameter, often encircled by a ring of 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 posited various hypotheses about their origins, but none have conclusively proven how they are formed. Theories include the activities of various types of termites, or the consequence of vegetation patterns that arise naturally from competition between grasses.

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