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Kata Tjuṯa / The Olgas (
Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are vari ...
: , lit. 'many heads'; ) is a group of large, domed
rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...
s or bornhardts located about southwest of
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
, in the southern part of the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, central
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Uluṟu / Ayers Rock, located to the east, and Kata Tjuṯa / The Olgas form the two major landmarks within the
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. The park is home to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It is located south of Darwin by road and south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter ...
. The park is considered sacred to the Aboriginal people of Australia. The 36 domes that make up Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga cover an area of are composed of
conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...
, a
sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...
consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
and
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
, cemented by a matrix of coarse
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
. The highest dome, Mount Olga, is above sea level, or approximately above the surrounding plain higher than Uluṟu).Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Visitors Guide
Retrieved 26 April 2013
Kata Tjuṯa is located at the eastern end of the Docker River Road.


Name

The other name, ''The Olgas'', comes from the tallest peak, Mount Olga. At the behest of Baron
Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...
, Mount Olga was named in 1872 by
Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...
, in honour of
Queen Olga of Württemberg Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (11 September 1822 – 30 October 1892) was a member of the Russian imperial family who by marriage to Charles I of Württemberg became Queen consort of the Kingdom of Württemberg until Charles' death. ...
(born Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, daughter of
Tsar Nicholas I , house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp , father = Paul I of Russia , mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , birth_date = , birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire , death_date = ...
). She and her husband, King
Charles I of Württemberg Charles (german: Karl Friedrich Alexander; 6 March 18236 October 1891) was King of Württemberg, from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891. Early life Charles was born on 6 March 1823 in Stuttgart as the son of King William I and his third wif ...
, had marked their 25th wedding anniversary the previous year by, among other things, naming Mueller a ''Freiherr'' (baron), making him Ferdinand ''von'' Mueller. The naming was his way of repaying the compliment. On 15 December 1993, a
dual naming Dual naming is the adoption of an official place name that combines two earlier names, or uses both names, often to resolve a disagreement over which of the two individual names is more appropriate. In some cases, the reasons are political. Some ...
policy was adopted that allowed official names consisting of both the traditional Aboriginal name and the English name. As a result, Mount Olga was renamed ''Mount Olga / Kata Tjuṯa''. On 6 November 2002, following a request from the Regional Tourism Association, the order of the dual names was officially reversed, to ''Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga''.


Geologic origin

The region surrounding Kata Tjuṯa lies in the Amadeus Basin, an intracratonic basin formed during the Adelaidian, roughly 850–800  million years ago. During the Petermann Orogeny, approximately 550 million years ago, an event known as the Woodroffe Thrust lifted granulite facies rocks northward over low-grade
metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...
s. The eventual erosion of the formation resulted in a molasse facies, or deposition in front of rising mountains, in this case, the Petermann Orogeny, creating the deposit known as the Mount Currie Conglomerate. The Mount Currie Conglomerate is made predominantly of
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
, porphyry,
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
,
gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
and volcanic rock fragments with a
matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
composed of angular
quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
,
microcline Microcline (KAlSi3O8) is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slow ...
and orthoclase among other minerals. Both Uluṟu / Ayers Rock and the Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga are made of sediment originating in this Mount Currie Conglomerate and both have a chemical composition similar to granite. Scientists using Rubidium-strontium dating techniques to date the rock accurately have given it an age of 600 million years, matching the date of the Woodroffe Thrust event. The actual fresh rock that makes up the Kata Tjuṯa / Olgas and Uluṟu / Ayers Rock is medium to dark grey with green or pink hues in some laminae. The bright orange-red hue, for which the structures are noted, is due to a
patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...
over finely divided feldspar coated in iron oxide.


Legends

There are many
Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are vari ...
Dreamtime legends associated with this place and indeed everything in the vicinity including Uluṟu / Ayers Rock. A number of legends surround the great snake king Wanambi, who is said to live on the summit of Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga and only comes down during the dry season. His breath was said to be able to transform a breeze into a hurricane in order to punish those who did evil deeds. The majority of mythology surrounding the site is not disclosed to outsiders, and in particular, women. As is the custom, should women become privy to the "men's business", they are susceptible to violent attacks, even death. The Anangu people believe the great rocks of Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga are homes to spirit energy from the 'Dreaming', and since 1995 the site is being used once again for cultural ceremonies.


Locations, access and facilities

Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga can be reached via
Ayers Rock Airport Ayers Rock Airport (also known as Connellan Airport) is situated near Yulara, around (5 hrs drive) away from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, and 20 minutes drive from Uluru / Ayers Rock itself. An average of just under 300,000 passengers p ...
, followed by a drive south, then west. Visitors are required to pay an entry fee. Kata Tjuṯa is about by road from Alice Springs, via the
Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...
and Lasseter highways. It is a hour drive. Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga has both a sunrise and sunset viewing area, which are accessible via a short walk from Kata Tjuṯa Road. There are also two walks that enter the domes of Kata Tjuta: * Valley of the Winds - 7.4km / 3-4 hours (Grade 4) * Walpa Gorge walk - 2.6km / 1-2 hours


Gallery

KataTjutaDomes.jpg, In the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga. ApproachToKataJuta edit1.jpg, Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga. Kata Tjuta, Northern Territory, Australia.JPG, Astronaut photo of Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga. Olgas Australia.jpg, In Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Kata Tjuta, Australia.jpg, Kata Tjuṯa / Mount Olga, Australia


See also

*
Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer who led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...
* Protected areas of the Northern Territory * Recognition of sacred sites *
Tietkens expedition of 1889 The Tietkens expedition of 1889 was led by William Tietkens. It covered territory west of Alice Springs to the vicinity of the Western Australian border. Expedition members The expedition members were: * David Beetson * Fred Warman * Billy (a ...


References


External links

{{Commons, Kata Tjuṯa
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
- Australian Department of the Environment and Water Resources
A Report on the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park


Landforms of the Northern Territory Inselbergs of Australia Rock formations of the Northern Territory Bornhardts World Heritage Sites in the Northern Territory Tourist attractions in the Northern Territory