What rock is the Devils Marbles?
granite
Formed by erosion over millions of years, the Devils Marbles are made of granite with sizes varying from 50 cm up to 6 m across. Some of the boulders are naturally but precariously balanced atop one another or on larger rock formations, while others have been split cleanly down the middle.
What is special about Devils Marbles?
The Devils Marbles are a sacred site known as Karlu Karlu in the language of the traditional owners the Warumungu people. Formed over millions of years, they continue to crack and erode making for a unique view each time you visit. Take your time to explore the region’s most famous landmark.
What formed the Devils Marbles?
Geologically, the marbles were formed from an upsurge of molten rock that cooled and became solid beneath a layer of sandstone. The solidifying granite caused vertical and horizontal fractures creating rectangular blocks to form. Over time, water infiltrated the cracks breaking down the sandstone, and then the granite.
Is the Devils Marbles a metamorphic rock?
The Devil’s Marbles started life nearly 2 billion years ago as the magma cooled in the Earth’s crust to form the igneous rock granite. On top of the granite, a thick sedimentary layer of sandstone formed that compressed the granite under its immense weight.
How old are Devils Marbles?
1500 million years ago
Formed over 1500 million years ago, the Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles defy gravity. In the Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, these boulders have seemingly dropped from the sky.
Where are the Devils Marbles found?
Forming one of the Northern Territory’s most impressive geological wonders, the Devil’s Marbles can be found not too far from Uluru. These impressive granite boulders are peppered around a sprawling valley about 100 kilometres to the south of Tennant Creek.
What type of landform is the Devils Marbles?
granitic boulders
The Devils Marbles are large granitic boulders that form the exposed top layer of an extensive and mostly underground granite formation. The natural processes of weathering and erosion have created the various shapes of the boulders.
What is the story of the Devils Marbles?
One traditional story that has been told refers to how the Devils Marbles were made. ‘Arrange’ was an ancient ancestor who made a hair belt, which is a traditional accessory only worn by initiated Aboriginal men. When he twirled the hair to make the belt, clusters were dropped on the ground, which became the boulders.
Are the Devils Marbles sacred?
Located in the Northern Territory, the Devils Marbles are a sacred site for the local Aboriginal people.
What minerals are in the Devils Marbles?
Description: Pink, medium- to coarse-grained two-mica granite with phenocrystic microcline and subhedral andesine; accessory minerals are fluorite, titanite, apatite, zircon and opaque oxides.
What is the spiritual value of Devils Marbles?
The Devils Marbles are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal traditional owners of the land, and the reserve protects one of the oldest religious sites in the world as well as the natural rock formations found there.
How old are devils marbles?
Is there a rock bigger than Uluru?
Monolith–monocline distinction Mt. Augustus is more than twice the size of Uluru. Unlike Uluru, which is a monolith and, in general, devoid of plant growth, Mt. Augustus is a monocline (an asymmetrical anticline).
How deep in the ground is Uluru?
2.5 kilometres
Below the Surface Millions of years of erosion have revealed only the tip and while it dominates the landscape at 348 meters high, Uluru extends a further 2.5 kilometres underground, although some experts estimate is could be closer to six kilometres.
What is the biggest rock in the universe?
Uluru is thus the largest rock monolith in the world and of monoliths and monoclines; Mt Augustus is the world’s largest overall.
How far underground is Uluru?
2.5km
Uluru stands 348 metres above sea level at its tallest point (24m higher than the Eiffel Tower), yet it resembles a “land iceberg” as the vast majority of its mass is actually underground – almost 2.5km worth!