关于澳大利亚神秘的乌鲁鲁的有趣事实

关于澳大利亚神秘的乌鲁鲁的有趣事实

The massive, rust-red rock rising from the dry ground in the middle of Australia is a sight that leaves most people in awe. Indeed, it's such a unique structure that the Anangu tribe, an Aboriginal people of Australia, have considered it a sacred site for 10,000 years or more.

澳大利亚中部干燥的地面上矗立着巨大的铁锈红色的岩石，这一景象让大多数人敬畏不已。事实上，它是如此独特的结构，以至于澳大利亚原住民阿南古部落(Anangu tribe)一万多年来一直把它视为圣地。

Uluru is an impressive geological sight and a sacred cultural place. (Photo: Maurizio De Mattei/Shutterstock.com)

Here are some things worth knowing about this special place — including how to virtually walk around the soaring tower of sedimentary rock.

这里有一些关于这个特别的地方值得了解的事情——包括如何在高耸的沉积岩塔周围行走。

Uluru is a sacred place

乌鲁鲁是一个神圣的地方

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. (Photo: Maurizio De Mattei/Shutterstock.com)

Uluru has a rich geological history but also a rich cultural history. The monolith is a holy place for the Anangu tribe, who have been in the area for around 10,000 years.

乌鲁鲁有丰富的地质历史，也有丰富的文化历史。巨石是Anangu部落的圣地，他们已经在这个地区生活了大约一万年。

Artwork on the rock dates back at least 5,000 years, possibly more, and as Parks Australia explains, the drawings are not frozen in time: "Anangu have a living culture, this symbolism is still used in sand painting, wooden craft making, body painting and modern artworks today."

岩石上的艺术作品至少可以追溯到5000年前，甚至更早，正如澳大利亚公园所解释的那样，这些画并没有被时间冻结:“阿南古有自己的文化，这种象征主义至今仍在沙画、木雕工艺、人体彩绘和现代艺术作品中使用。”

Most of Uluru's mass is underground

乌鲁鲁的大部分物质都在地下

The stripes running down the side of Uluru's face are from erosion caused by runnels of rainwater flowing down. (Photo: Maurizio De Mattei/Shutterstock)

Standing at 1,141 feet tall, 2.2 miles long and 1.2 miles wide, Uluru is a truly massive piece of rock. And yet most of Uluru is actually underground. Though it looks like it was set down on the landscape, Uluru isn't like a boulder that rolled into place and mostly sits above ground. Rather, the rock is more like an iceberg, with some of its mass above the surface but much of it remaining below. More than 1.5 miles of the rock is believed to lie beneath the ever-eroding earth, though no one knows for certain how far it goes.

乌鲁鲁高1141英尺，长2.2英里，宽1.2英里，是一块巨大的岩石。然而，乌鲁鲁的大部分实际上是在地下。虽然它看起来是建在地面上的，但乌鲁鲁并不像一个滚动到位的巨石，它大部分位于地面之上。更确切地说，这块岩石更像是一座冰山，它的部分重量在表面以上，但大部分仍留在下面。超过1.5英里的岩石被认为是在不断侵蚀的地球下面，虽然没有人知道它到底有多远。

Uluru is a UNESCO World Heritage site

乌鲁鲁是联合国教科文组织世界遗产

Uluru is a popular tourist destination, with many accessing the area to celebrate the landscape and the culture surrounding the rock. The Uluru Base Walk that runs around the entire base of the rock. (Photo: Maurizio De Mattei/Shutterstock.com)

Not only is Uluru recognized unofficially as a truly special spot, but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park as World Heritage site, a prestigious designation.

乌鲁鲁不仅被非正式地认定为一个真正特殊的地方，而且联合国教育、科学及文化组织(UNESCO)也将乌卢鲁-卡塔楚塔国家公园命名为世界遗产，一个享有声望的称号。

It's not the biggest monolith in the world

它不是世界上最大的巨石

Many think Uluru is the largest single chunk of rock on the planet, but that's a misconception. Mount Augustus in Western Australia is actually the largest monolith around. Though it can't lay claim to this superlative, Uluru is more than simply a monolith.

许多人认为乌鲁鲁是地球上最大的一块岩石，但这是一种误解。西澳大利亚的奥古斯都山实际上是最大的巨石。虽然它不能声称这是最高级的，但乌鲁鲁不仅仅是一块巨石。

While you know how Uluru was formed, you might be wondering how it got its amazingly vivid color. The rock that forms Uluru has a high iron content, so while the rock really has a grayish color, the oxidation that occurs with weathering turns the surface rust red.

虽然你知道乌鲁鲁是如何形成的，但你可能想知道它是如何拥有如此鲜艳的颜色的。形成乌鲁鲁的岩石含铁量高，所以当岩石呈灰白色时，风化过程中发生的氧化作用使岩石表面呈铁锈红色。