New
7 Natural Wonders of the World
New Seven Wonders of Nature-One
of 28 nominees. Winners will be announced in 2011.
Uluru is one of Australia's
most recognisable natural icons. The
world-renowned sandstone formation
stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high (863
m/2,831 ft above sea level) with most
of its bulk below the ground, and
measures 9.4 km (5.8 mi) in circumference.
Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great
cultural significance for the Anangu
Traditional landowners, who led walking
tours to inform visitors about the
local flora and fauna, bush foods
and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories
of the area.
Uluru is notable for
appearing to change colour as the
different light strikes it at different
times of the day and year, with sunset
a particularly remarkable sight when
it briefly glows red. Although rainfall
is uncommon in this semiarid area,
during wet periods the rock acquires
a silvery-grey colour, with streaks
of black algae forming on the areas
that serve as channels for water flow.
Kata Tjuta, also called
Mount Olga or The Olgas, is another
rock formation about 25 km (16 mi)
west of Uluru. Special viewing areas
with road access and parking have
been constructed to give tourists
the best views of both sites at dawn
and dusk.
Uluru is an inselberg,
literally "island mountain",
an isolated remnant left after the
slow erosion of an original mountain
range. Uluru is also often referred
to as a monolith, although this is
a somewhat ambiguous term because
of its multiple meanings, and thus
a word generally avoided by geologists.
The remarkable feature of Uluru is
its homogeneity and lack of jointing
and parting at bedding surfaces, leading
to the lack of development of scree
slopes and soil. These characteristics
led to its survival, while the surrounding
rocks were eroded. For the purpose
of mapping and describing the geological
history of the area, geologists refer
to the rock strata making up Uluru
as the Mutitjulu Arkose, and it is
one of many sedimentary formations
filling the Amadeus Basin.[2]
Sighted in 1872 by Ernest
Giles, the rock was named for former
South Australian premier Sir Henry
Ayers. In 1985 official ownership
of Ayers Rock was given to the Aboriginals,
who thereupon leased the rock and
the national park to the government
for 99 years. Visitors arrive at the
rock via Alice Springs, 280 miles
(450 km) northeast by road. The buildings
of the tourist resort near Ayers Rock
are coloured to blend in with the
surrounding desert. The rock and the
surrounding park were designated a
World Heritage site in 1987.[3]
