Kata Tjuta (Australia)

Australia, known as the Down Under due to its location in the Southern Hemisphere, has been blessed with many wonders of nature. Every aspect of nature is found here, such as the world's most captivating beaches, lush mountains, lush forests and scorching deserts. However, many believe that the real identity of Australia is its northern part. In the southern part of the Northern Territory of Australia, there is a massive mass of domed rocks made of sandstone known as kata tjuta.

Kata Tjuta is also known as Olgas, one of the most important tourist destinations in Australia. In the language of the indigenous tribes of Australia, kata tjuta means lots of heads. At Kata Ttuja, as the name suggests, there are huge dome-shaped rocks with 3 domes. The rocks of Kata Ttuja are spread over an area of ​​21.5 square kilometers and the highest mountain, Mount Olga, is 6 feet above sea level.

The domes of Kata Tjuta are made of rough sandstone known as Arcos. These types of rocks contain mainly feldspar. Feldspar contains about 21 percent of the earth's crust. Feldspar accounts for about fifty percent of the rock formations of Kata Tjuta.

In addition to feldspar, the composition of these rocks consists of 8 to 20% quartz and 5% mainly basalt rocks. The original color of the domes is gray but they appear bluish brown due to oxidation of various iron ores.

Due to the specific geographical composition of the rocks different colors appear at different times of the day. Depending on the direction of the sun's rays, the rocks appear brown, red, orange, or purple. Especially at sunrise and sunset all the domes are glowing red. This peculiarity of different colored rocks attracts millions of travelers from all over the world.

Indigenous peoples of Australia have come to worship the gods because of the changing colors of the rocks. There are also many legends about Kata Tjuta among the locals although they keep their beliefs confidential enough and do not tell others.

Kata Tjuta is located in a barren desert in Australia, so rainfall is negligible. The temperature here is also very uneven. During the summer days the temperature reaches 4 degrees, while in the winter the mercury drops to four degrees. During the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere from October to March, the sun's ultraviolet rays are so intense that they burn the skin.

Despite the extreme conditions, about 21 species of animals survive here. An Australian kangaroo can also be seen roaming around. There are also abdominal sac creatures like Posam, Walabi, Bilbi, Battong. Uluru Kata Tzura National Park is also home to six species of reptiles, ranging from venomous snakes to lizards in the desert. Giant emu birds without wings are also occasionally seen.

Due to its unique design, Kata Tjuta has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Millions of pilgrims have flocked here due to the unique formation of rocks, but the trend of mountaineering has increased significantly in the last few years. It often takes long queues of climbers and adventurers to climb the cliffs.

Garbage and pollution in the area have also increased due to the increasing influx of passengers. Due to which the local tribesmen here demanded that they ban mountaineering on the sacred Uluru and Kata Tjuta. The Australian government has banned mountaineering in the area since last year.