One of the boulder formations at the Devil's Marbles site, called Karlu Karlu by the Kaytetye.

The Devil's Marbles Conservation Reserve contains formations of naturally rounded and oval boulders called Karlu Karlu by the local Aborigines. The area is located near Wauchope, 114km south of Tennant Creek in Australia's Northern Territory. The boulders are located in a traditional Aboriginal sacred site and are important to the local Aboriginal people. The Kaytetye people believe that the boulders are the eggs of the rainbow serpent. Over time, the ceremonies and stories related to the Devil's Marbles have largely been lost, but the site is still very important to the tribe and may be considered to be among the oldest religious sites in the world. Image File history File links One of the boulder formations at the Devils Marbles site. ... Image File history File links One of the boulder formations at the Devils Marbles site. ... One of the boulder formations of Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles), a sacred Dreaming site for Kaytetye. ... In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of more than 256 mm (10 inches) diameter. ... See also, List of Indigenous Australian group names Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... Image:Tennant creek location map in Northern Territory. ... Emblems: Sturts Desert Rose (floral) Motto: None Slogan or Nickname: The Territory, The NT, The Top End Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Const. ... See also, List of Indigenous Australian group names Indigenous Australians are the first human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. ... One of the boulder formations of Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles), a sacred Dreaming site for Kaytetye. ... The Rainbow Serpent/Snake is a major mythological being for Aboriginal people across Australia, although the creation stories associated with it are best known from northern Australia. ...

The Reserve is accessible all year round and has a network of pathways with information boards and a basic camping area.

Geology and weathering

The remarkable geological formations have been formed by spheroidal weathering. Signs along the pathways describe how the boulders were formed by a combination of mechanical weathering (which cracked the rocks) and chemical weathering (which flaked the surface off). Weathering is the process of breaking down of rocks, soils and their minerals through direct, or indirect contact with the atmosphere. ... Weathering is the process of decomposition and/or disintegration of rocks in situ, that is, in place. ... This is a drainage basin developed in response to a steady rate of lowering of the local base level, which is the lower boundary. ...

The boulders were originally part of a solid mass of coarse-grained granite which formed deep within the earth's surface about 1640 million years ago. As the molten magma cooled and hardened to form granite the mass shrank and cracked and these cracks (known as joints) effectively split the granite body into a series of tight fitting blocks. Erosion has since stripped away the overlying material, and weathering processes have shaped them into the "marbles" as they appear now. Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... A joint (from French joint) (articulation) is the location at which two bones make contact (articulate). ...

The temperature ranges in the Northern Territory outback range from sub-zero temperatures at night to over 40°C during the day - meaning that the erosive processes are still very much at work and the boulders continue to evolve into new shapes. Emblems: Sturts Desert Rose (floral) Motto: None Slogan or Nickname: The Territory, The NT, The Top End Other Australian states and territories Capital Darwin Government Const. ...

The devils marbles were formed over millions of years.

Controversy

Devil's Marble

One of the marbles was removed from a formation in 1953 and taken to Alice Springs to form a permanent memorial to John Flynn, the founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia. At the time, this was seen as a way of remembering his link to the outback, but in later decades it was a source of great controversy because the rock was removed from a sacred site without the direct permission of the tribal elders. In the late 1990s, a boulder swap was arranged, and the missing marble was removed from the grave, cleaned, and returned to its original place. The grave is now marked with a similar boulder donated by the local Arrernte people. Image File history File linksMetadata Devil's_marble. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Devil's_marble. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of... Portrait of Flynn in his early 20s. ... The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS, informally known as The Flying Doctors) is an air ambulance service for those living in the remote inland areas of Australia. ... A tourism sign post Yalgoo, Western Australia The Outback is the remote and arid interior and north of Australia, although the term colloquially can cover any lands outside of the main urban areas. ... Arrente is both a language, a group of people, and an area of land in Central Australia. ...

Popular Culture

The American travel writer Bill Bryson describes a visit to the Devil's house in his book In A Sunburned Country. Bill Bryson in Durham; behind are University College (Durham Castle) and the Cathedral William Bill McGuire Bryson (born December 8, 1951) is a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on scientific subjects. ...

External links

• "Controversy about removing a "marble"", Alice Springs News, 1999-09-08.
• Devil's Marbles Conservation Reserve.

Coordinates: 20°340.80′S 134°150.68′E 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...