Why don plants and trees grow in the soil on the terraces of the Berkley pit?
This is probably due to a combination of reasons rather than any single reason. First, there is little or no soil on those terraces. They are mostly rock and small rock fragments that have not sufficiently weathered to produce a soil that larger plants need to survive. Additonally, the terraces are directly exposed to extreme temperatures and wind and lack consistent water that plants need, particularly for young plants to get started. Undoubtedly there are small plants such as lichens that grow on the terraces; they are not visible unless you can look closely, but in time they will help to break down the raw rock materials and form soils.
