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Key Information

Uluru | Ayers Rock

Type Sandstone Monolith
Height 1,142 ft
Discovered By William Gosse (1873)

Learning Point

  • Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a giant rock, an inselberg, which has been exposed by the elements. It is made from sandstone, and is one of a number of different similar features in the nearby area, though it is the most famous. Inselbergs form when the softer rock around it is eroded, leaving the harder rock behind.

Project

  • Draw a picture of Uluru | Ayers Rock.
  • Overview
  • From Above
Uluru | Ayers Rock
By Ek2030372672 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Uluru from Above
By NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth / Caption by Andi Hollier, Hx5 LLC, and M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC – https://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/89000/89288/iss049e010638_lrg.jpg, Public Domain, Link

Location

Located in Northern Territory, Australia

Fun Facts

  • It changes from red to grey when it is wet, though this is not often seen as there is very little rain in the area.
  • The redness it has is because the iron in the rock has oxidized, otherwise it would be grey.
  • It was named after Sir Henry Ayers, though the local aboriginal people have known it as Uluru for far longer.
  • Climbing was banned in 2019.

Past Lessons

9 December 20, 2021 (North America)
115 June 3, 2024 (North America)
No Past Lessons

Upcoming Lessons

No Upcoming Lessons