Ayers Rock Research Articles

The Celestial Body Language Implied by the Ayers Rock Tasmania and Main Island of Australia

The Ayers Rock of Australia, which is known for its charming colors at different time, is actually the Celestial Body Ring of the planet Earth that implies the great Celestial Body Love happened on Earth long long ago. The Tasmania island of Australia which is known for the World Heart is actually in the state of face to face with the main island of Australia, which implies the image spokesperson for the inner core (the heart) of the planet Earth. In other words, with the outline of the main island of Australia, the basic key information of the inner core of the planet Earth could be easily obtained by deducing logically, just like the similarity between the fists and heart of human body. Similar to the mechanism of the blood circulation dominated by the heart of human body, it is dominated and motivated by the inner core of the Earth which forms the circulation of mantle magma between the crust and the inner core, and what leads to the formation of expanding and active area on the equatorial and middle-lower latitude area and the silent and convergent area on the North and South Pole central area. Therefore, the mantle magma whirlpools under the crust on the North and South Pole are supposed to exist logically. The walking sideways of the crabs just implies the celestial body language of the motive trend of the main island of Australia based on their similar outline.

Book review: Mathieu, Jon: Mount Sacred. A short global history of holy mountains since 1500

Mathieu, Jon: Mount Sacred. A short global history of holy mountains since 1500. 155 pp. 11 figs. The White Horse Press. Winwick 2023. ISBN 978-1-912186-716, 30 £. eISBN 978-1-912186-72-3, OA ebook.Mathieu, Jon: Mount Sacred. Eine kurze Globalgeschichte der heiligen Berge seit 1500. 192 pp. 11 figs. Böhlau. Wien 2023. ISBN: 978-3-205-21702-2, eISBN: 978-3-205-21703-9, 35 €.
 The topic of sacred mountains has been fascinating for mountain researchers that had access to varied peaks on different continents and opened up comparative perspectives. Edwin Bernbaum’s (1990) famous book on Sacred mountains of the world was published a generation ago at the same time when Karl Gratzl (1990) edited his book on Die heiligsten Berge der Welt. It was a time when the human sphere of mountain regions attracted more attention by anthropologists, archaeologists and geographers. Embedded in a less prophane approach their descriptive books hinted towards more rigorous studies on indigenous practices and rituals, emphasized the historical rootedness of mountain communities and led to changing appreciations over time on the path to highlighting mountain exceptionalism and its exalted representation of pristine environments.The recent publication of Jon Mathieu’s Mount Sacred is a welcome reflection about how mountains became sacred objects and sanctified entities covering a period of half a millennium. The author, himself an authority on European Alpine history, has been fascinated by global mountain studies earlier on in his seminal work on the ‘third dimension’ (Mathieu 2011). This as well as the present book were simultaneously published in German and English.It is fascinating to read how sacred mountains have been created and imagined, how belief systems and scientific approaches shaped the perception of mountain peaks. The opening two chapters are devoted to an enquiry that is inspired by seminal works on Eurasian studies with a focus on place and position of mountains in structuring human environments, environmental control and scientific approaches. Eight chapters are devoted to selected mountains, among which we find at the beginning Mount Kailash and at the end Uluru. The former has probably gained the highest attention among Western readers and has been further promoted since being popularised as the ‘holiest mountain’ (Tichy 1937) suggesting a hierarchy of sacredness. In contrast, Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock in Australia, has been rather neglected in the above-mentioned books, probably because the mountain towers only 350 metres above the surrounding plains. Uluru has gained in popular appreciation and became a symbol in the recently debated treaty for Indigenous Australians.The two cases from China and Korea – Tai Shan and Paektusan/Changbaishan – have been canonized in their respective political contexts. Beginning with ritual importance and a deep historical rootedness they have been instrumentalized for less religious purposes and fixed on the political maps of China and North Korea. Presenting cases from the Christian realm in the European Alps seemed to be more challenging as there were pilgrimage places in villages and valleys, rather than a tradition of attributed sacredness and mountain worship on Alpine peaks and passes. Jon Mathieu entertains the reader with a number of anecdotes and historical turns in placing crosses there and in a subsequent chapter on erecting crosses in Italy and neighbouring countries on places in order to celebrate Catholic Christians’ persistence at the beginning of the 20th century. Here a comparison with the wider Himalayan arc and its manifold iconography and materiality on passes, springs and rivers would have been interesting because of its pilgrimage practices, plentiful stocks and great variety of expression and ritual veneration. The chapter devoted to North America puts the Black Hills where Black Elk and Lakota Sioux used to pray to their ‘six grandfathers’ (Tunkasila Sakpe Paha) into the centre of attention; it is the same place where the conflict about Mount Rushmore with the rock sculptures of four American presidents emerged. Competition about sacred places occurs as well where adventure sports and rock climbing take place in spiritually laden or only respected places and peaks. This applies for North American national parks obviously more than for the East African volcanoes; the latter having become attractive tourism destinations with the Kilimanjaro and victims of myth creation. Marketing of mountains has often contributed to generating legends and stories about alleged sacredness and spiritual capacities of mountains. In this context many more prominent case studies and mountain regions would come to our mind that are not covered or mentioned in this book. Jon Mathieu made his selection in order to investigate the underlying processes of creating Mount Sacred.Jon Mathieu’s approach to unearth the roots of the sacredness of some mountains and telling us revealing stories about influential actors and changing factors over time has resulted in an entertaining and enlightening text that broadens the horizon of mountain veneration. His book is highly recommended to interested members, promotors and curious visitors of mountain communities.

PERANCANGAN HOTEL RESORT KAWASAN WISATA ALAM BUKIT KELAM DI KABUPATEN SINTANG

Bukit Kelam is the largest monolith rock in the world beating Ayers Rock in Uluru, Australia. Bukit Kelam is located in Kelam Permai District, Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan. Bukit Kelam is can attract tourists with its uniqueness. This hill is also an iconic tourist attraction. This potential has not been accompanied by the accommodation in the fulfillment of the needs of visitors. Based on existing observations and data, lodging accommodation is not yet available in this area. Facilities are needed that can be a place of retreat for tourists in the form of a Resort hotel. There are also issues sourced from the official website of the Sintang Regency Investment Departement (DPMPTSP) regarding investment development in the form of hotel construction in Kelam Permai District. Resort Hotels are not only a lodge but can also be a medium for visitors to enjoy the natural potential in the Bukit Kelam area. The application of the design theme "Back to nature" in Resort hotels is to uniting nature and the environment around the Bukit Kelam area with the buildings and activities. The concepts of this design theme are to make visitors enjoy the unspoiled potential of nature. With the Resort hotel, it can complement the accommodation in supporting the potential of the Bukit Kelam.

Hiding in plain sight, Ficus desertorum (Moraceae), a new species of rock fig for Central Australia

A new species of lithophytic fig, Ficus desertorum B.C.Wilde & R.L.Barrett, endemic to arid Central Australia, is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from other species in Ficus section Malvanthera Corner by having stiff lanceolate, dark green, discolorous leaves; many parallel, often obscure lateral veins; petioles that are continuous with the midrib; with minute, usually white hairs and non- or slightly sunken intercostal regions on the lower surface. Previously included under broad concepts of either Ficus platypoda (Miq.) Miq. or Ficus brachypoda (Miq.) Miq., this species has a scattered distribution throughout Central Australia on rocky outcrops, jump-ups (mesas) and around waterholes. This culturally significant plant, colloquially referred to as the desert fig, grows on elevated landscapes in central Australia, including Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles), three of Central Australia’s best-known natural landmarks. Evidence is provided to show these plants are geographically and morphologically distinct from Ficus brachypoda, justifying the recognition of F. desertorum as a new species. Taxonomic issues with F. brachypoda and F. atricha D.J.Dixon are also discussed. Lectotypes are selected for Urostigma platypodum forma glabrior Miq. and Ficus platypoda var. minor Benth.

Fairy Tale Transformation: The Pied Piper Theme in Australian Fiction

Fairy Tale Transformation: The Pied Piper Theme in Australian Fiction

In Defence of the Dingo

At dusk on the 17th August 1980, a Sunday, in the heart of the Australian continent at Ayers Rock, Lindy Chamberlain cried out “My God! My God! The dingo’s got my baby!” Lindy, wife of Michael Chamberlain, a Seventh Day Adventist minister, and mother of two sons Aidan and Regan, was referring to her third child, daughter Azaria, who was just nine weeks old. The ensuing inquests, court cases and media furore, in which culpability for the disappearance of baby Azaria was attributed to members of the Chamberlain family, or persons unknown, or the dingo, resulted in Lindy being convicted and charged with the murder of her baby, and husband Michael being given a suspended sentence as an accessory. Over seven years later, after several appeals, both were acquitted. The precise nature of Azaria’s fate has never been established and her body was never recovered.

Inselbergs and monoliths: a comparative review of two iconic Australian landforms, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Burringurrah (Mount Augustus)

The concept of ‘monolith’ is considered with reference to two imposing inselbergs in semi-arid Australia, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Burringurrah (Mount Augustus). Individually each has been described as the ‘largest monolith in Australia’. To assess this comparison we outline the geology, morphology and geomorphic history of each. Both consist of sedimentary rock, but they differ in almost all other aspects including dimensions, lithological variations, geological evolution, tectonics, rock structures, operating processes and ages of both the landforms and the underlying rocks. The term ‘monolith’ has been used to describe such a wide range of features involving so many criteria that we prefer not to use ‘monolith’ as a geomorphic term. In relation to the inselbergs described here, the use of the term ‘monolith’ has led to needless and unhelpful comparisons between these two remarkable landforms.

Surfacing behaviour and ecology of the marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops) at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Little is known about the distribution and ecology of the cryptic and unique marsupial mole. In this paper we report on the habitat preferences and surfacing behaviour of marsupial moles on the basis of surface sign surveys conducted in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Ayers Rock Resort over a 12-month period by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park staff and traditional owners. A key aim of the study was to assess the potential viability of using surface sign as a rapid, non-intrusive alternative to traditional survey methods. We found that surfacing occurred widely across the study area, but that it was highly variable both across survey sites and over time. Significant relationships existed between surface sign counts and environmental variables, including fire age, timing of significant rainfall events, presence of infrastructure and the cumulative rainfall received in the preceding three months. We concluded that the use of marsupial mole surface sign is likely to be a useful method for monitoring the distribution, abundance and habitat requirements of this cryptic species.

Changes in vegetation over nine years after rehabilitating a linear feature in Australia's arid zone

A 36-km road built in 1961 between Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas (Kata Tjuta), Northern Territory, Australia had seriously deteriorated by the 1980s. A newly aligned road, which was ecologically located and avoided sensitive Aboriginal sites, was completed early in 1991. The old road was rehabilitated by deep ripping, filling with imported sand and topsoil and by grading logs and windrows1 over the new surface. This paper reports on the effectiveness of the rehabilitation technique used in reinstating vegetation over 8 years and considers whether this rehabilitation aim was met. Plant colonisation and succession were monitored on 15 paired plots, one in the rehabilitated road and the other in the adjacent undisturbed habitat (with four exceptions) and also on the windrows. Sites at eight creek crossings and those subject to fire and rabbit activity were also monitored. Different landscape units responded in different ways to the rehabilitation. Herbaceous species from imported sand plain fill and top soil eventually dominated the road where they were introduced and were likely to persist in most areas because of local recruitment. The revegetation of the road has stabilised the old road surface as observed by the reduced erosion although succession did not always approach the reference site communities because of a greater resemblance to the Simpson Land System. Over the 8 years of monitoring considerable changes in vegetation occurred and are probably continuing. Only the road sites in the Simpson Land System approached the condition of the adjacent undisturbed vegetation because the vegetation of the other two land systems became closer to that of the Simpson Land System rather than to that of the surrounding vegetation. It is recommended that the introduced Buffel grass, known to alter landscape-level processes by reducing native herbaceous species and increasing risk of high intensity wildfire, which is most evident at creek crossings, should be controlled. Recommendations are made for improved management.

The Ayers Rock Experience: Reading to Recuperate the Lost in David Malouf’s ‘Mrs Porter and the Rock’

The Ayers Rock Experience: Reading to Recuperate the Lost in David Malouf’s ‘Mrs Porter and the Rock’

Mount Augustus Geology and Geomorphology

AbstractMount Augustus (Burringurrah) at 1105 m AHD, is a prominent elongate inselberg, underlain dominantly by resistant sandstone of Middle Proterozoic age (1.6 billion years old). It is located midway between Meekatharra and Carnarvon in semi‐arid Western Australia. The Mount Augustus Sandstone and overlying sediments were folded and tilted about 1 billion years ago, providing the template for the modern Mount Augustus. It is essentially a structural landform. Its shape broadly conforms to the underlying asymmetrical anticline, which has a steep northern limb and a gentler dipping southern limb. The anticline plunges at a shallow angle to the southeast. The mountain is the core of the original fold and it stands some 700 m above the surrounding Gascoyne planation surface. Other rock types present on Mount Augustus include metamorphic and igneous rocks, which preclude it from being termed a monolith. Weathering, fluvial erosion and sedimentation have modified the original bedrock structures. Fluted bedrock provides evidence of rapid runoff from bare bedrock surfaces. A joint system has influenced the orientation of a step‐like sequence of numerous scarplets on slopes. The weathered rock is red, but the coloured rock is only a centimetre deep on most surfaces. The surrounding alluvial, gibber and sand plains shallowly bury the eroded bedrock plains of the Gascoyne planation surface. Former alluvial fills have been ferricreted in the lower reaches of some channels and are currently being eroded. Mount Augustus has often been compared with Ayers Rock, and unwarranted claims have been made that it is the biggest rock in the world and the world's biggest monolith.

BEAUTIFUL AUSTRALIAN GOLD COAST TO HOST 2009 IFDAS MEETING

The 12th International Dental Congress on Modern Pain Control sponsored by The International Federation of Dental Anaesthesiology Societies (IFDAS) will meet this year on the beautiful Gold Coast of Australia at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, October 14–17, 2009. It is located about an hour's drive north of Brisbane in Broadbeach, in the heart of some of the world's most famous beaches, with easy access to world-class shopping, entertainment, restaurants, and the 24-hour Junipers Casino right next door.It is hard to believe that the 11th IFDAS Congress in Yokohama was less than 3 years ago, and soon it will be time for the 2009 conference. The overall theme of the meeting is Towards Global Consensus on Pain Free Dentistry. Among the wide variety of speakers from all over the world, the featured keynote speakers are Stephen Wilson DDS, MS, PhD, professor and director of the Division of Dentistry at the University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and John Meechan, BDS, PhD, senior lecturer and honorary consultant in Oral Surgery at Newcastle, United Kingdom. He was the recipient of a Distinguished Scientist Award from the International Association of Dental Research and a King James IV Professorship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The main themes are pediatric sedation, education, scientific update, and implants/sedation. Listed under these themes are the following subtopics: around the world, behavioral management, pain update, local anesthesia, the anxious child, sedation, special needs patients, alternative therapies, chronic facial pain update, general anesthesia, education in the future, systemic management, medical emergency treatment, dental anesthesiology in each country, geriatric patients, and new drugs. All attendees are welcome to participate and encouraged to submit a scientific paper before the deadline of May 2, 2009. The details can be found online.The early bird registration deadline is May 31, 2009, and fortunately, the rate of exchange of American dollars is currently quite favorable compared with the Australian dollars. Registration fees can be placed on Visa, MasterCard, Diner's Club or American Express credit cards. You can register online at http://www.ifdas2009.com, or contact Ms Liz Cuffe, Carillon Conference Management, PO Box 177, Red Hill Queensland 4059 Australia (e-mail liz@ccm.com.au).Your editor has been to Australia twice and looks forward to this next journey. Modern jumbo jets packed with state-of-the-art audio and video technology make the plane ride seem much shorter than anticipated. If you are attending the American Dental Association annual meeting in Honolulu, you may already be close to half way to Australia, depending on where you live, which makes the flight to Australia seem even shorter. With about a week or so between these 2 meetings, you can plan to spend a few extra days exploring Australia before the IFDAS meeting starts. You can head south to visit Sidney's fantastic Opera House, perhaps the most beautiful and striking architectural design in the world. You can also visit the famous Sidney zoo and the aquarium. You can head north to a more tropical climate (north is warmer weather down under) to visit the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns. You can also go west to see the largest monolith in the world, Ayers Rock, named Uluru by the natives of the outback. The land and the animals in Australia are all so unusual that there is never a dull moment.The Chair of the meeting is Associate Professor Dr Douglas Stewart, President-elect of IFDAS. He is ably assisted by the Scientific Chair, Dr Greg Mahoney, with significant help from Dr Andre Viljoen and Dr Colin Priestland. They have organized a truly wonderful meeting from which memories will last forever for those who register. This is a chance of a lifetime to attend both the ADA and IFDAS meetings back to back. I strongly urge you to attend, as I know that you will not regret it.

The IFDAS Meeting in Yokohama—Another Brilliant Success

Yokohama, Japan, was the site for the 11th meeting of the International Federation of Dental Anesthesia Societies (IFDAS) on October 4–7, 2006. Held every 3 years at exciting venues around the world, the IFDAS meeting is the focal point for members of dental anesthesia societies to present cutting-edge research and to exchange clinical advances in the area of anxiety and pain control in dentistry. Over 700 attendees from 20 countries participated in this grand event at the massive PacificoYokohama Conference Center in Yokohama, Japan. Professor Yuzuru Kaneko served as the Congress President, Professor Kazuaki Fukushima was the Organizing Chair, and Professor Tatsuya Ichinohe was the General Secretariat. All 3 were supported by countless volunteers who made certain that this large meeting was as well-organized as humanly possible. They all did a fantastic job of making this very complex project run very smoothly. The theme of the congress was “The Essential Role of Dental Anesthesiology in the 21st Century—Safe and Comfortable Dentistry.” Your editor counted 87 lectures and 128 poster presentations related to research and clinical practice of anesthesiology. Selected abstracts from this meeting are published in this issue of Anesthesia Progress and more will follow in subsequent issues. All lectures were simultaneously translated in English and Japanese, which facilitated the exchange of information. Two very special guests were present, the honorable Professor Yasuya Kubota who presided over the third IFDAS meeting in Tokyo in 1982 and Professor Shigeaki Hinohara, a vigorous 95-year-old cardiologist, fitness guru, and best selling author who recently authored books entitled Ikikata Jyozu (Good at Living), Ongaku no Iyashi no Chikara (The Healing Power of Music) and Shin Rojin o Ikiru (Living as a Senior Citizen). The IFDAS prize for the outstanding presentation was awarded to Dr Alexander Babikov from Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry. The Horace Wells Award, the highest award of IFDAS for outstanding service, was presented to Professors Yuzuru Kaneko, Joel Weaver, and John Yagiela. Finally, as the crowning achievement of the meeting, it was announced that because of the efforts of the Japanese Dental Society of Anesthesiology and Professor Kaneko, its tireless leader, the Japanese government had officially recognized anesthesiology as a new dental specialty. The 3 missions of this meeting were met with overwhelming enthusiasm. International visitors became familiar with the state of dental anesthesiology in Japan. The meeting contributed to the global advancement of anesthesiology in dentistry by reconfirming its role in our profession and by strengthening international ties. Finally, it offered an enjoyable international exchange. In addition to its academic missions, the very elegant formal opening and closing ceremonies of the meeting entertained the participants with the beauty, culture, grace, and artful talent that are so unique to Japanese culture. At the end of the meeting, IFDAS President Dr Chris Holden from England handed over the gavel to Professor Kaneko, who will preside over IFDAS for the next 3 years. With the assistance of IFDAS Secretary General Dr Jim Grainger and the next organizing committee chairman, Dr Doug Stewart from Australia, Professor Kaneko will oversee the 2009 IFDAS meeting, which will undoubtedly be equally spectacular. We look forward to the 12th IFDAS meeting on October 14–17, 2009 at the new Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, located at Broadbeach on Queensland's Gold Coast. The beach there is rated as one of the best in the world. You can also take a side trip to Sidney to attend a performance in its magnificent opera house and world-famous zoo, travel the breath-taking “Great Ocean Road” to Adelaide or visit the outback to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) at sunrise. Your editor has visited all of these sites and can attest that you haven't really lived until you have seen Australia. It is not too early to start making plans to attend the 12th IFDAS meeting in 2009.

Tourism and Place-Making at Uluru (Ayers Rock): From Wasteland to Spiritual Birthing Site, 1929-1958

Tourism and Place-Making at Uluru (Ayers Rock): From Wasteland to Spiritual Birthing Site, 1929-1958

Tourist Consumption of Sacred Landscapes Space, Time and Vision

This paper considers the way in which tourists consume a sacred landscape, utilizing the example of Uluru (Ayers Rock), a monolith at the heart of a World Heritage landscape in central Australia. Uluru is sacred to the Anangu Aboriginal people who have lived there for 30,000 years. It receives more than 350,000 visitors per year and is probably the most familiar landscape element in Australia, at least to non-Australians. Most Australians will never visit Uluru, yet it is still widely perceived as the geographical and social heart of the country located in the ‘Red Centre’ and symbolic of Australian-ness. For Europeans, whose familiarity with Australia may have come as a result of exposure to popular films or wildlife documentaries, a visit to Uluru may be a unique opportunity to encounter Aboriginal art, mythology and culture. Visitors consume the landscape of Uluru in a variety of different ways, some of which seem inappropriate to a sacred site. The most contentious of these is climbing the monolith itself, a procedure discouraged but not forbidden by its Anangu custodians. Temporary closure of the climb in 2001 as a result of the death of a tribal elder resulted in increased awareness of Uluru as a sacred landscape, a process already facilitated by Anangu-led tours. The visitor experience of Uluru is gradually refocusing from photography to participation, as the visitor is offered new ways of consuming the landscape.

Effects of cover reduction on mulgara Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae), rodent and invertebrate populations in central Australia: Implications for land management

Abstract This study investigates the effect of cover reduction on the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda, a small marsupial classified as vulnerable to extinction, which occurs in areas of central Australia dominated by hummock grasslands. Loss or degradation of spinifex has been implicated in population declines of this species previously, but the importance of cover in maintaining quality habitat remains speculative. To determine the effect on D. cristicauda of cover reduction, caused by the harvesting of spinifex, we monitored population changes and changes in prey resources (rodents and invertebrates) before and after spinifex harvesting took place at a site near the Ayers Rock Resort, Northern Territory, Australia. Ten plots, each of 8.75 ha, were established and sampled from May 1994 to October 1995. Harvesting took place on five plots in August 1994, which reduced spinifex cover from 46 to 21% and the amount of spinifex >0.25 m high from 42 to 2%. Harvesting did not significantly affect the number of D. cristicauda known to be alive or captured despite other studies indicating that cover is an important habitat attribute. There was also no evidence that cover reduction impacted on the biomass of the invertebrate food resources. However, there was a significant reduction in the number of rodents captured. The lack of a response to cover reduction by D. cristicauda is possibly because the cover of Triodia remained high enough (above 15%) to sustain animals, and harvested areas were relatively small. This study therefore suggests that D. cristicauda can tolerate a moderate local reduction in cover of its preferred habitat. However, it remains possible that other land use practices that cause severe reduction of cover (including clearing for mining or fire prevention, grazing which may result in spinifex reduction through trampling, and fire management) will have more dramatic effects on D. cristicauda. Evaluation of such effects should be a priority for future research.

Abstracts presented at the Joint Meeting 18‐21 September 2003 Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia

Australasian Journal of DermatologyVolume 44, Issue 4 p. A25-A39 Abstracts presented at the Joint Meeting 18-21 September 2003 Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia First published: 12 November 2003 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-0960.2003.001_1.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume44, Issue4November 2003Pages A25-A39 RelatedInformation

Pilgrimage at contested sites

Pilgrimage, whether traditional and religious or modern and secular, is experiencing a resurgence around the world. Increasing indications suggest that there is contest for access and use of sacred sites. This contest sometimes involves traditional owners who likewise hold these sites sacred, with their managers and commercial operators also drawn into this conflict as the case study on Ulu r u (Ayers Rock) illustrates. The comparatively recent “no-climbing please” campaign, coupled with the fact that some modern secular pilgrims are illegally entering sacred sites, presents many dilemmas for Park managers and the traditional owners, the latter reaping significant financial rewards from the half a million tourists who come to Ulu r u annually.

Isotopic test of a thermally driven intraplate orogenic model, Australia

A recently proposed model for intraplate orogenesis couples long-term self-heating of basement rocks by radioactive decay with thermal blanketing by overlying sedimentary deposits. This model has been tested in one of the type areas in central Australia, the Proterozoic Musgrave Complex, which was reworked in an Early Cambrian orogeny. We have determined the source of the pre orogenic and postorogenic sediments in the Amadeus basin immediately to the north of the reworked basement, including the fan deposits associated with uplift, comprising Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (Olgas). Detrital-zircon age populations indicate that all basin sediments were derived from the Musgrave Complex, which was therefore emergent rather than covered by sediments as required by the model. In the basement, the preservation of Mesoproterozoic mica ages during transpressive burial to depths of ∼40 km ca. 550 Ma indicates that the associated thermal pulse was short-lived, not long-lived as envisaged in the model. We conclude therefore that the thermal-blanketing model is inconsistent with the isotopic data and that the localization of deformation in intracratonic settings is associated with regions of contrasting strengths; in central Australia, these are along the margins of the Amadeus basin with the Musgrave Complex and Arunta inlier.

Flared Slopes, Footslopes, and the Retreat of Overhanging Slopes: Examples of Convergent Landform Development

Flared slopes are concave slopes thought by some to be created by subsurface weathering followed by stripping. We believe that concave slopes may also be formed by subaerial weathering, and that the retreat of such slopes creates rectilinear footslopes. Such rectilinear slopes have also been related to flared slopes. The same landforms have been used in the past to illustrate both modes of formation, as illustrated here by various examples including Ayers Rock and Hyden Rock in Australia. The combination of concave and rectilinear slopes may produce convergent landforms that can be formed by different processes.