Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon is located in Central
Australia at about 170 miles (300 Km) south west of Alice Springs.
About 450 million years ago the Carmichael Sandstone deposited and accumulated
there. It forms the underlying base of the canyon cliffs. The smoother paler material on
top of it is the more recent Mereenie Sandstone (350 million years old) which has always
been able to retain water. In the shady gullies and gorges some of the formations from the
ancient wetter times have been preserved until today.
The many deep cracks in the rocky crust of the range expose the underlying
Carmichael sandstone which was undercut causing the Mereenie sandstone above to break off
creating the sheer cliffs we see today.
