Karlu Karlu
Karlu Karlu , also known as Karlwekarlwe or Devil's Marbles (English. Murmur of the devil ), is a sacred place of the Aborigines (more precisely the Kaytetye , the Whyungu , the Anmatyerre and the Alyawarre ) in the Australian desert . It is located about 100 kilometers south of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory in Central Australia ( Red Center ). The area includes several thousand round granite rocks.
etymology
The meaning of the term Karlu Karlu is round object . For the Aborigines, however, the name is more than a simple description of the situation. According to tradition, the rocks are the eggs of the rainbow snake from the dreamtime . The site therefore plays a very important role in the ceremonies and legends of the indigenous people. Most of the related rituals and stories are secret knowledge that is not made available to outsiders. What is known, however, is that the natives are convinced that beings from the dreamtime live in the caves under stones.
Geology and formation
Under the Karlu Karlu there is a granite deposit, part of the Davenport Range , which emerges close to the surface due to the weathering processes of the rock above. The spherical devil's marbles are round-shaped rocks made of granite that were created through weathering and erosion (see gallery below). This form of weathering, which occurs particularly in hard rock , is called wool sack weathering . It can not only be seen on Karlu Karlu, but takes place in many places around the world - but nowhere on earth are there such clusters of weathered rocks of this size.
The creation of the large "marbles" is a process of desquamation , which is to be understood as the "flaking" of the stone surfaces . The minerals in the granite ( feldspar , quartz and mica ) have different thermal expansion values, so that their volume changes differently with temperature fluctuations, which causes mineral grains to loosen from the rock. Furthermore, wind accelerates these processes with sand, as it acts like a sandblasting fan and thus also contributes to physical weathering. The weathered grains are carried away by wind or rain. Ultimately, the sand that surrounds the Marbles consists of the original granite rock. The whole process is also called gravel.
The reddish color of the marble is caused by an iron oxide, hematite .
Origin 1
Genesis 2
Origin 3
Origin 4
Conflicts
A granite lump weighing more than eight tons from Karlu Karlu was transported more than 480 kilometers to Alice Springs in November 1952 to decorate the grave of the Reverend John Flynn, who died on May 5, 1951 . Born in 1880, John Flynn founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia in 1939 , which is still essential for medical care in the Australian outback . The rock above the grave was built at the request of his widow, supposedly inspired by the stories about the rock that was supposed to seal the grave of Jesus Christ. After no corresponding boulder could be found in the surrounding MacDonnell Ranges , one of the Devil's Marbles was transported to Alice Springs - without consulting the Kaytetye and Whyungu Aborigines, the traditional guardians of the Karlu Karlu sanctuary.
Since each of the rocks is of spiritual importance to the Aborigines, efforts were made to bring the rock back to Karlu Karlu as early as the early 1950s. However, this only succeeded in 1999 when the rock returned to its place of origin after many talks and negotiations. As a gesture of respect for the Reverend Flynn, the Arrente Aborigines from Alice Springs donated a stone from their land to replace the rock from Karlu Karlu.
A similar formation of weathered granite spheres, the pebbles , which also have spiritual significance, lies twelve kilometers north of Tennant Creek. There, too, protests arose as a result of the removal of a stone and in front of a mining contractor's disposal project.
Web links
- Properly Whyungu - Indigenous Future-Making in a Remote Australian Town
- Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles (accessed September 13, 2019)
- TENNANT CREEK & BARKLY REGION (accessed September 13, 2019)
- tourism nt annual report 2013-14 (accessed September 13, 2019)
Coordinates: 20 ° 29 ′ 54 ″ S , 134 ° 14 ′ 4 ″ E