Abstract

Rock paintings from the Torres Strait islands in tropical far northeast Queensland are subject to a harsh coastal weathering regime. Many of these fragile images have faded due to accelerated coastal processes such as water and salt damage and are no longer visible to the naked eye. The systematic application of computer enhancement techniques to rock paintings recorded across Western Torres Strait over a four-year period has identified a previously undetectable north-south pattern in the proportion of faded paintings recovered using this technique. This patterning, taken in combination with a north-south division in Western Torres Strait geology, is used to reveal broader spatial and temporal patterns in the Torres Strait region. I argue that this systematic recording methodology attends to the preservation and conservation aspects of rock-art research, and can also be used to inform researchers of new or previously unidentifiable trends into the patterning of rock-art across space and through time.