The Devils Marbles are to be found 390 km north of Alice Springs. The Marbles are thousands of round boulders, balanced on top of one another, covering 1828 hectares of land either side of the highway. Each boulder is made of red granite rock, and varies greatly in size, but the average size is 4 metres high and from 13 metres to 33 metres wide (Uluru to Kakadu, 2009). For the Aboriginal people, the Devils Marbles has particular significance in their creation story. The indigenous people believed the boulders were the Rainbow Serpent’s eggs that had become fossilised. These fossilised eggs are the granite rocks that we see today (Rivera, 2009). Uluru and the Olgas are perhaps the two most well known geological features in outback Australia. They are both known as monolith rocks meaning that the rock that can be seen at the surface is only the tip of the rock and the remained stretches for a few kilometres underground (Tourism NT, 2005). Uluru is located 440 km south-west of Alice Springs. Uluru is made of arkose, grained sandstone which has hardened after years of erosion. The Olgas, 40 km west of Uluru, are made of conglomerate, a gravel content which contains pebbles, cobbles, boulders, sand and mud. The make-up of the rocks and the position of the sun results in both rocks appearing to have various colours at different time of the day. Both rocks were originally mountain ranges which have experienced severe erosion to the point where they are all that is left (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2009). Both rocks hold immense importance for Aboriginal people and there are several creation stories regarding the rocks. Therefore today conservation of the rocks is important and the Northern Territory Government is taking steps towards conserving these natural wonders for generations to come. Erosion is an important aspect to look at when researching Information about Geology. Erosion refers to the wearing away of soil and rocks. When the soil and rocks are broken up they move from one place to another. Erosion can often be a significantly slow process which can sometimes take up to millions of years to occur. Humans are a big contributor in speeding up the natural process of erosion which frequently causes it
The Devils Marbles are to be found 390 km north of Alice Springs. The Marbles are thousands of round boulders, balanced on top of one another, covering 1828 hectares of land either side of the highway. Each boulder is made of red granite rock, and varies greatly in size, but the average size is 4 metres high and from 13 metres to 33 metres wide (Uluru to Kakadu, 2009). For the Aboriginal people, the Devils Marbles has particular significance in their creation story. The indigenous people believed the boulders were the Rainbow Serpent’s eggs that had become fossilised. These fossilised eggs are the granite rocks that we see today (Rivera, 2009). Uluru and the Olgas are perhaps the two most well known geological features in outback Australia. They are both known as monolith rocks meaning that the rock that can be seen at the surface is only the tip of the rock and the remained stretches for a few kilometres underground (Tourism NT, 2005). Uluru is located 440 km south-west of Alice Springs. Uluru is made of arkose, grained sandstone which has hardened after years of erosion. The Olgas, 40 km west of Uluru, are made of conglomerate, a gravel content which contains pebbles, cobbles, boulders, sand and mud. The make-up of the rocks and the position of the sun results in both rocks appearing to have various colours at different time of the day. Both rocks were originally mountain ranges which have experienced severe erosion to the point where they are all that is left (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2009). Both rocks hold immense importance for Aboriginal people and there are several creation stories regarding the rocks. Therefore today conservation of the rocks is important and the Northern Territory Government is taking steps towards conserving these natural wonders for generations to come. Erosion is an important aspect to look at when researching Information about Geology. Erosion refers to the wearing away of soil and rocks. When the soil and rocks are broken up they move from one place to another. Erosion can often be a significantly slow process which can sometimes take up to millions of years to occur. Humans are a big contributor in speeding up the natural process of erosion which frequently causes it