The Mystery of Ayers Rock, or Uluru

Most of my  family resides in Australia, one of the most dynamic places on our planet. When I went on a trip to meet them, I never really got to look at the topography of the area, since they lived in the heart of Sydney (gosh that place is ginormous!!) I wanted to go see the Blue Mountains, the only park nearest to Sydney that was the doorway to the great and wondrous Outback, but I ran out of time and never got to. So, now with some new geology knowledge via my geology class, I want to learn what's so great about one of it's most famous land marks: Ayers Rock: the Cultural Center of the Dreamtime.
 I'm noy only going to discuss the geologic mysteries of this landmark, but also the folklore that surround it, since I believe that the scientific discovery of a subject of interest is just as important as the human and mythology surrounding it, since that is what basically man first described an area of interest in many things.
Ayers Rock, or Uluru as depicted by the Aboriginies, is situated in the center of Kata Tjuta National Park, in the very heart of Australia, and convieniently located near Longitude 131 degrees. Here's a picture to help you out: From www.longitude131.com.au
All information from http://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/about-uluru-katatjuta/
 Ayers Rock is one of  the biggest monoliths that stand on planet Earth, made up of Arkose Sandstone, and standing 348 meters above the ground and an area circumfrenc of 9.4 kilometers. The park is owned by the local Anangu people, since it is their land, and of specific importance to their culture. Here's how this monolith formed: 550 million years ago, the Peterman ranges in the park were extremely tall, and rainwater had eroded the sand and rock from them and created gigantic fans of sand and mud that spread across the plateau. These fans became so thick, they were full of smooth rocks and sand over buildup, and became kilometers thick. 500 million years ago, the plateau became a sea, and the weight of more sand and deep sea pressuse formed the fans into soild rock, and then metamorphised into sandstone from the conglomerate buildup. 400 MYA, the sea dissapeared and the rocks folded and tilted into shape, giving Uluru a 90 degree angle tilt so the sandstone stood up. Now that the rock was exposed, the elements of wind, water, ect. took its toll on the monolith, and over the last 300 MYA, the softer rocks eroded off, leaving the parts of the old fan to bask in its former glory. Over the years, the rock had been exposed to the elements, so that features like ribs, caves, and pools had formed around and on Uluru. It's very reddish orange color is due to the oxidation of iron in the arkose. The decaying minerals on the rock flake off in red and grey patches. The whole monolith is a sight to see in person, if you can afford it!! Now I will get to the mythology part, which tells a bit as much as the scientific part. The Anangu People believe that this landmark was made at the begining of time, and maybe, they're not wrong, since it formed before recorded time...As many people may know, the Aborigines, or in this case, the Anangu people have a belief in the Dreamtime, or, the beginings and forming of their world. There has been much folklore about the Rainbow Serpent, said to live in other crevacies of the Austrailian Outback, guarding water holes and other sources of life. In many Anangu creation stories, the Serpents were the totems that molded and shaped the earth, creating rivers and tunnels, mountains, ect. The Rainbow Serpent is the protecter of life and fertility, and has life-giving powers. The Serpents said to live in Uluru are Woma Python(Kuniya) and Liru(poisonous snake). Kuniya and Liru were said to have fought a great battle, when Kuniya(referred to as a snake boy) was ambushed by a group of Liru( the poisonous snakes) and killed by the spears they threw at him during the Dreamtime. The spears were thrown with such force  that they made holes in the rock of Uluru. The snakeboy's aunt, a python, became angry with the Lirus, that she pursued the Lirus, until she slid down the side of Uluru, and killed one of the Liru, it's blood washing down the rock from it's head. The story is from http://www.upfromaustralia.com/batoflirandk.html, and is told if you ever go on one of the special story hikes you can take at Uluru. Here are some pictures from the story and of the rock itself: The blood from the Liru and.....the holes from the spears.










And here's some pretty pictures of Uluru/Ayers Rock!

  Frontal and..(nature.new7wonders.com). From the sky. (earthobservatory.org)
 The connection of the fan between the Olgas And Uluru. The "k" word means pebble sandstone and the "s" word means rocklayer (wikipedia.org)

I think it's interesting how people used to relate natural occurences such as earthquakes to some ancient creature or being, and also, how landmarks and certain formations such as that of Ayers Rock were the place of some epic battle, or the domain of a giant serpent. In my opinion, when people believed such things(and still do), they wanted to explain these phenomena, and that somehow, the world around them was alive and full of wondrous and dangerous beings. These stories have passed down from generations of oral storytellers, and whether or not modern science disproves or proves them, I do not think it matters. What does matters is that the stories live on, filling people with wonder and excitement and fascination, and when they know some other aspect of the story such as scientific fact  comes up to prove or disprove it, people will keep on believing, and add it on as another chapter to the grand tale.