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Pathway: isDon's home -> Photos home -> Images by location -> Northern Territory -> Central Australia -> Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park ->
Uluru is 348 metres high, or 863 metres above sea level, with several km more underground. The circumference of the rock is 9.4 km.
The rock consists of a sedimentary rock called arkose sandstone, a coarse-grained sandstone mostly containing a mineral called feldspar. The colour of the rock is caused by weathering of iron minerals by water and oxygen and the rock changes colours when struck by the dying rays of the sunset.
It was named Ayers Rock after premier Sir Henry Ayers by explorer William Gosse who sighted the rock in 1873, but reverted to its traditional name of Uluru in 1985 when it was handed back to its traditional owners.
The local Aborigines prefer that the rock not be climbed, although visitors are not prevented from doing so. Many people have been injured on the climb, with 35 people having died. So don't do it!
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All images and content on this site © Don O'Connor.
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