Geologists try to explain formations
THE Anangu people know how Uluru and Kata Tjuta were formed. This knowledge comes from Tjukurpa, the stories and lore that explain and govern Anangu life.
Much of it, particularly about Kata Tjuta, is sacred and cannot be explained.
Geologists have their own explanations.
FLAKY RED SKIN
Close up, much of the surface of Uluru is flaky red with grey patches. The flakes are bits of rock that are left after water and oxygen in the air have decayed minerals in the rest of the rock. The red is the rusting of the iron in the arkose. The grey is the original colour of the arkose.
SHAPING OF ULURU
From a distance, Uluru looks smooth and featureless. But up close its face is weather-beaten – pitted with holes and gashes, ribs, valleys and caves.
To the Anangu, these features are related to the journeys and actions of ancestral beings across the landscape. These stories, known as Tjukurpa, tell about the travels and actions of Kuniya (womapython women), Liru (poisonous snake man), Mala (rufus harewallaby) and Lungkata (blue-tongue lizard man). Geologists have different explanations about how these features formed.
CARVED BY WATER
Water has shaped the valleys, potholes and pools of Uluru.
Rainstorms over millions of years have sent water plummeting down the hard rock, slowly wearing it away to form grooves, potholes and spectacular plunge pools.