1. ULURU IS THE MOST AMAZING SIGHT IN AUSTRALIA!!!
2. The spectacular shapes of Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta are the culmination of geological events stretching hundreds of millions of years.
3. Archeological research suggests that there has been human settlement in the region for at least 22,000 years.
4. Uluru is the exposed tip of a huge vertical slab of rock that continues below the surface for up to 5km.
5. The rock is 24m HIGHER than the Eiffel Tower!
6. Uluru is made from arkose, a course grained sandstone, eroded from huge mountains composed largely of granite.
7. Less than 50km from Uluru, Kata Tjuta consists of 36 domes.
8. The highest peak rises 546m above the desert, 198m higher than Uluru.
9. 5,462 tourists visited Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in 1963. In 2013, 260,335 people visited.
10. Kata Tjuta, the local indigenous name for the collection of domes, means "many heads."
11. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are made up of rocks that are around 550 million years old.
12. Uluru is 3.6km long and 348m at its tallest point.
13. The rocks are some of the oldest landforms on Earth.
14. Geologists have calculated that the volume of Uluru is some 1.1 billion cubic metres.
15. Over 35 people have died climbing Uluru. The traditional owners request that visitors do not climb.
16. The colour changes of Uluru result from the filtering effect of the earth's atmosphere on the sun's rays.
17. Kata Tjuta is a conglomerate, made up of gravel, pebbles, cobbles and boulders cemented by sand and mud. It looks a little like a plum pudding.
18. The average rainfall at Uluru is 275mm a year: temporary waterholes exist after heavy rains.
19. Rainfall is the key to fire danger at Uluru. The higher the rainfall, the greater the amount of fuel.
20. Uluru does experience winter, with an average July minimum of 3.4 degrees.
21. The iron minerals in the rock are weathered by water and oxygen in a similar effect to iron rusting.
22. The theory is that Uluru and Kata Tjuta must have been harder than the rock surrounding them.
23. The rock layers that eroded around them may have had more faults and fractures allowing increased weathering and erosion to occur.
24. There is still debate about how the caves at Uluru formed. They may have begun with the flaking erosion of the rock surface, honeycombed out by wind a water over time.
25. Weathering of Uluru gives the rock its red colour.
26. Chemical weathering by groundwater widened the fissures, and rainwater runoff gradually formed the canyons we see today.
27. The sand dunes around Uluru have been in their present position for around 30,000 years.
28. The valley between Uluru and Kata Tjuta is now filled with sediment up to 100m thick. Bores drilled into these sands provide water for Ayers Rock Resort.
29. The major valleys of Kata Tjuta may reflect fractures that formed around 300m years ago.
Sources
Insiders Guide to Uluru Tjuta National Park: Ayers Rock Resort
Uluru and Kata Tjuta, A Geological Guide: Geoscience Australia
Welcome to Anangu Land: Australian Government Director of National Parks