The big canyons of Kata Tjuṯa are thought to be evidence of faults that formed while the rock was being folded millions of years ago. Many years of weathering has made the faults bigger and water has eroded the rock into the valleys and domes seen today. Uluṟu has deep parallel fractures that run down its sides. These are caused by erosion, mostly from rainwater running off the domed top. The caves around the base of Uluṟu were formed by water weathering, though the exact process is still not known. Erosion of the rock is very slow, because the surface is very hard, and because there is no major jointing or parting at its base.
The bright orange-red colour of the rock surfaces comes from the oxidation (or rusting) of the iron in the arkose. When fresh (not exposed to the air), the arkose has a grey colour. Uluṟu appears to change colour at different times of the day and year. It glows a deep red colour during sunrise and sunset. The red light that comes across the sky at these times reflects off the rock, sand and clouds to make a bright glowing effect.
Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa is normally arid (dry). Most of the water in the park is under the ground. It can stay under the park for thousands of years. In the end, it all drains through the ground to Lake Amadeus in the north. Knowing where to find this underground water has always been important for human survival in the area. It is the only supply of water in the area that people can rely on. Both Muṯitjulu and Yulara get their water from ancient aquifers under the park. The water contains salt, which is removed before it is used. The aquifers being refilled depends on rare major rains, normally happening every ten years or so.
There are no proper watercourses in the park. Creek beds and gullies are mostly found in the valleys around Kata Tjuṯa. These are usually dry, except after heavy rains, but water can stay under the sand for months. The soils in the park contain high levels of clay, which stops water from soaking into the ground too quickly. The only lasting surface water in the park is Muṯitjulu Waterhole (""), at the base of Uluṟu. It has many waterholes (pockets of water) that have formed by rain running off the rock down its fracture lines. They are the only lasting spots of water above the ground for hundreds of kilometres in any direction. They normally have some water in them for the whole year.
Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa has a mostly dry climate. Rainfall is usually low, very hard to predict. The park gets an average of of rain per year, but each year can be very different. Rain is most common between November and March. Droughts are common and can be very long. The most rain recorded in one year was in 1974. The least amount was in 1965. The year 1965 was also the end of the longest drought that has been recorded here, which lasted six and a half years. Major rainfalls (periods with lots of rain) are rare, happening about every ten years. They are very important for refilling the groundwater supply and can put a lot of life into the ecosystems. The last major rainfall was in 2009, which got of rain.
The average relative humidity is a lot lower than in coastal areas. It normally lowers as the temperature rises. The average rate of evaporation per year is high at about . The levels of UV on most summer days reach between 11 and 15.
As in most arid inland areas, the days are very hot and the nights are very cold. The months between October and March have an average of 43 days where the temperature is above 40°C. The highest temperature recorded in the park was 47°C in December 1993. In winter, the temperature overnight often falls below freezing (0°C). The average temperature range for winter months is 14–30°C. The lowest temperature recorded in the park was –5°C in July 1976.
The Aṉangu say the park has five seasons:
The park is ranked as one of the most important arid land ecosystems in the world. It is one of 15 biosphere reserves in Australia under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere system. The landscape looks quite barren, but is actually a complex ecosystem with many forms of life. Plants and animals have adapted to the area's extreme conditions. As a result, it supports some of the most unusual flora and fauna on the planet.
Much of the park land is made up of flat plains dotted with many kinds of spinifex grasses. There are also large areas of sand dunes, rocky scrubland and open woodland. The gullies and creek lines that fan out from the rock formations form their own unique habitats, because of the concentration of water in the ground there.
The park is managed jointly (together) by the Aṉangu and Parks Australia. Parks Australia is the government body that looks after national parks in Australia. It is a part of the Department of the Environment. The Aṉangu own the land, and lease it to the government. The lease began in 1985 and lasts for 99 years. Decisions are made by the Board of Management, a group of people. Under the lease terms, the Aṉangu always hold a majority on the management board. There are 12 people on the board.
The Director of National Parks is the only permanent seat. All the others sit for five years, and then new people are chosen. All choices have to be approved by the Aṉangu. The staff that work in the park every day are from Parks Australia. This team is overseen by a general park manager, who reports to the Director.
"Tjukurpa", the Aṉangu legal code, makes up the basis for the park's management. It says how to deal with problems, and sets penalties for people who break the rules. The Aṉangu have used the Australian legal system to enforce "tjukurpa" and protect their sacred values. Sacred sites are registered under Territory law; it is against the law for visitors to enter them. Laws also protect traditional designs from being copied. Aṉangu have the right to forage and hunt in the park.
George Willis
George Willis, MD JP (1828-1898) was a British medical doctor and politician.
Willis was born in County Cavan, Ireland. He earned his medical degree at the University of Glasgow in 1850.
He was the elder brother of Dr. William Willis who taught medicine at the University of Tokyo and founded the medical school at the University of Kagoshima.
He was one of the founders of the Monmouth Hospital and Dispensary at Monmouth in Wales.
He was three times elected mayor of Monmouth.
Death row
Death row is a place where people convicted of bad things go to be executed using different methods. Some are lethal injection or a gas chamber, or even an electric chair. Death row is often known as capital punishment due to the fact that many years ago, people who were convicted of really bad things such as killing were executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered, firing squad, gas chamber, guillotine, or shooting.
Gas chamber is a tool used to kill somebody by breathing in the gas and choking to death.
Guillotine is a tool that was used way before other tools were created. It is an object designed to cut off the head of a person by dropping a cutting tool that is controlled by a pulling object.
Firing squad is a killing method used in the early 1900s, including World War II. The method is used when army officers shoot a person to death.
The electric chair is a tool that is used to this day. It is a chair with electricity flowing through it designed to shock a person and kill them in minutes.
Lethal injection is a killing method that is also used to this day. It is made to inject a person with one or more drugs that will kill them in minutes, or even seconds if the drugs are very bad, or a large dose is given.
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