page_title: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
section_title: Geology
hierarchical_section_title: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park / Geography / Geology
caption_attribution_description: Uluru, Central Australia. Shows trees growing in a crack up the rock face.
context_page_description: 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 1,943 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways. The park covers 1,326 square kilometres and includes the features it is named after: Uluru and, 40 kilometres to its west, Kata Tjuta. The location is listed with UNESCO World Heritage sites for natural and cultural landscape.
context_section_description: These domed rock formations are composed of conglomerate, a sedimentary rock consisting of cobbles and boulders of varying rock types including granite and basalt, cemented by a matrix of sandstone. The crevasses are due to erosion, primarily by water. Although it is a dry region, the large area of these domes collects a lot of rainwater, which runs off in steep waterfalls during rain.
  From a geological point of view, analysis of Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka National Parks reveals an awe-inspiring history. 500 million years ago, the entire area was covered by an inland sea and over many centuries, sand and mud fell to the bottom of the sea, creating rock and sandstone. Kata Tjuta's domes are the eroded remains of sedimentary rock from the seabed, while Uluru is a relict of the coarse grained, mineral-rich sandstone called arkose.
caption: A close up view of the crevasses on Uluru
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