The Tomkinson Ranges is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the northwest corner of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. The range consists of

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) ...

hills, surrounded by spinifex grasslands. The range was named after politician

Samuel Tomkinson Samuel Tomkinson J.P. (25 April 1816 – 30 August 1900) was a South Australian banker and politician. He was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1885 to 1894, representing Southern District, and from 1897 to 1900 represen ...

(1816–1900) by the explorer

William Gosse William Gosse may refer to: *William Gosse (explorer) (1842-1881), Australian explorer *William Gosse (surgeon), his father, medical practitioner in South Australia * William Gosse (MP) for Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency) Bridgwater was ...

in the early 1870s.

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 ...

and his team reached the ranges shortly after, and established a base from which to explore the

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

and

Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles became the first European to cross th ...

s. Numerous

prospecting Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. Traditionally prospecting reli ...

expeditions were made through the region until the 1930s. Together with the

Mann Ranges The Mann Ranges are a mountain range in central Australia. It is located in the far northwest of South Australia, with a small section running over the border into the Northern Territory. It is part of the geological region known as the Musgrave ...

, the Tomkinson Ranges are an important part of the

Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, also known as APY, APY Lands or ''the Lands'', is a large, sparsely-populated local government area (LGA) for Aboriginal people, located in the remote north west of South Australia. Some of the aṉangu ...

lands. The communities of

Kalka Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. It is near Panchkula city. The name of the town is derived from the Hindu goddess Kali. It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state o ...

and

Pipalyatjara Pipalyatjara (formerly Mount Davies) is an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia, comprising one of the six main communities on " ...

are located at the base of the mountains.

References

Mountain ranges of South Australia Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara {{Australia-geo-stub