Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Kata Juta (emphasis on the last sylable same as Uluru) is about 50 km west of Uluru. It, along with Mt. Conner 100 km to the east of Uluru, are all part of a similar geologic process, though all three look different.
500 Million years ago, center Australia was a large inland sea, like the Mediterranean today. As the land rose around it, it was continually eroded and washed into rivers that flowed into the sea deposting broad alluvial fans of sediment. Some of this eroded material was sorted by the the flow into small-grain sand beds. Another river dumped its load quickly and the alluvial fan was a conglomerate of sands, gravels, and stones. Over the millenia this material was compressed into sandstone, conglomerate stone or capped by other sediments with a hard capstone. Unlike the Blue Mountains, this sedimentary rock was fractured and rotated by plate tectonics like a walnut between your fingers. As future lands formed, erosion covered these fractured and rotated fragments with new soft alluvial deposits kilometers thick. After the continent was raised again, the softer material was worn away revealing the tops of these unique fragments like the tip of an iceberg in an otherwise flat sea of sediment.
Kata Juta - Soft round forms and valleys of course sand and gravel comglomerate.
The sedimentary stone tilted at 15 degrees
Uluru - Fine grain, highly consolodated, sedimentary sandstone rotated 90 degrees and
continuing below the surface kilometers deep.
Mr. Connor - Sedimentary sandstone capped with hard material that resisted erosion
to create a table top Mesa.
Our favorite hike in the Red Center was the Valley of the Winds in Kata Juta. We were glad it was winter. Along the hike were caution signs about not hiking after noon, shade shelters, and water stations. Being good NW hikers, we had extra jackets and water.
Course Conglomerate stone of Kata Juta
Next Post: The Ghan
I'll comment here for Parts 1 & 2 -- When Evan was in 4th grade, he studied Australia and had to create an Alphabet Australia book: write something about Australia for every letter A-Z. That may appear unchallenging on the surface -- but let me tell you --it took HOURS of research and then putting it all together with photos took more hours. But boy! Did we both learn a lot about Australia! Uluru was our "U" word and with all the other flora, fauna, natural sites, people and history, Australia went right on my bucket list. Maybe next year. Too bad about the dopes who climb without even reading a little background. All very well written and evocative of place and impressions. Eager to see Fiji through your eyes.
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