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61-582: The Wild Dog Mountains are a rugged area of 104 km of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. The mountains are located in the Blue Mountains National Park The name was assigned in 2004 Blue Mountains (New South Wales) The Blue Mountains are a mountainous region and a mountain range located in New South Wales , Australia . The region is considered to be part of

122-464: A dissected plateau carved in sandstone bedrock . They are now a series of ridge lines separated by gorges up to 760 metres (2,490 ft) deep. The highest point in the Blue Mountains, as it is now defined, is an unnamed point with an elevation of 1,189 m (3,901 ft) AHD , located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north-east of Lithgow . However, the highest point in the broader region that

183-518: A generally southeasterly direction for about 96 kilometres (60 mi), terminating at Emu Plains . For about two-thirds of its length it is traversed by the Great Western Highway , the Main Western railway line and the proposed Blue Mountains tunnel. Several established towns are situated on its heights, including Katoomba , Blackheath , Mount Victoria , and Springwood . The range forms

244-431: A loamy, fairly fertile though shallow and stony soil. Quartzite has been used since prehistoric times for stone tools. It is presently used for decorative dimension stone, as crushed stone in highway construction, and as a source of silica for production of silicon and silicon compounds. Quartzite is a very hard rock composed predominantly of an interlocking mosaic of quartz crystals. The grainy, sandpaper-like surface

305-652: A shale mine in the Jamison Valley in the 19th century, and other operations were set up in several places. Locations for mining activities included the Jamison Valley , the upper Grose Valley , Newnes , Glen Davis and the Asgard Swamp area outside Mount Victoria . Shale mining failed in the long run because it was not profitable. In 2000, the Greater Blue Mountains Area , a vast area of wilderness in

366-996: A very thin layer of Irish Atlantic Bog covering it. In the United Kingdom, a craggy ridge of quartzite called the Stiperstones (early Ordovician – Arenig Epoch , 500 Ma) runs parallel with the Pontesford-Linley fault , 6 km north-west of the Long Mynd in south Shropshire . Also to be found in England are the Cambrian " Wrekin quartzite" (in Shropshire), and the Cambrian " Hartshill quartzite" ( Nuneaton area). In Wales , Holyhead Mountain and most of Holy island off Anglesey sport excellent Precambrian quartzite crags and cliffs. In

427-586: A wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypti tax (13% of the global total) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant taxa. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species ( Wollemia , Microstrobos , Acrophyllum ) which have persisted in highly restricted micro sites." The Greater Blue Mountains Area

488-703: Is a distinction that can be recognized in the field . In turn, the distinction between an orthoquartzite and a metaquartzite is the onset of recrystallization of existing grains. The dividing line may be placed at the point where strained quartz grains begin to be replaced by new, unstrained, small quartz grains, producing a mortar texture that can be identified in thin sections under a polarizing microscope. With increasing grade of metamorphism, further recrystallization produces foam texture , characterized by polygonal grains meeting at triple junctions, and then porphyroblastic texture , characterized by coarse, irregular grains, including some larger grains ( porphyroblasts ). In

549-401: Is a form of silica, it is a possible cause for concern in various workplaces. Cutting, grinding, chipping, sanding, drilling, and polishing natural and manufactured stone products can release hazardous levels of very small, crystalline silica dust particles into the air that workers breathe. Crystalline silica of respirable size is a recognized human carcinogen and may lead to other diseases of

610-777: Is a popular sport in the Blue Mountains, with the Blue Mountains Cattle Dogs representing the district in the Western Zone Premier League, Country Plate and Presidents Cup competitions. At 4 am on 28 January 1931 a cliff face known as "the Dog Face Rock" collapsed into the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains. A second collapse from the same cliff face occurred on 2 May 1931. It was reported that "More than 450 incidents resulting in greater than 200 deaths between 1875 and 2021..." have occurred. Every year there are up to 200 people who are lost or injured in

671-773: Is found in remote and isolated valleys of the Wollemi National Park . The Blue Mountains Range contains smaller mountain ranges: the Bell Range near The Bells Line of Road and north of the Grose River; the Explorer Range, south of the Grose River extending west towards Mount Victoria; the Caley Range, Erskine Range, Mount Hay Range, Paterson Range, and the Woodford Range. The major recorded peaks are: The Blue Mountains are

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732-482: Is glassy in appearance. Minor amounts of former cementing materials, iron oxide, silica, carbonate and clay, often migrate during recrystallization, causing streaks and lenses to form within the quartzite. To be classified as a quartzite by the British Geological Survey , a metamorphic rock must contain at least 80% quartz by volume. Quartzite is commonly regarded as metamorphic in origin. When sandstone

793-541: Is in turn a part of the larger East Australian Cordillera physiographic division. The main natural disasters to afflict the area are bushfires and severe storms. In recent years the lower mountains have been subjected to a series of bushfires which have caused great loss of property but relatively little loss of life. The upper mountains had not had a major fire for some decades until December 2002 (the Blackheath Glen Fire) and November 2006 when an extensive blaze in

854-760: Is inhabited by over 400 different forms of animals. Among them are rare mammal species like spotted-tailed quoll , the koala , the yellow-bellied glider , and long-nosed potoroo . There are also some rare reptiles, like the Blue Mountain water skink . There are also some dingoes in the area, which form the top predators and hunt for grey kangaroos . The Blue Mountains are a popular destination for rock climbers , mountain bikers and hikers as well as canyoning and other adventure sports. These sports are well catered for by guiding companies and equipment stores located mainly in Katoomba. Popular climbing destinations include

915-463: Is known as Kings Tableland Aboriginal Place and dates back 22,000 years. Arthur Phillip , the first governor of New South Wales, first glimpsed the extent of the Blue Mountains from a ridge at the site of today's Oakhill College, Castle Hill. He named them the Carmarthen Hills, "some forty to sixty miles distant..." and he reckoned that the ground was "most suitable for government stock". This

976-563: Is now the location of Bells Line of Road between Richmond and Bell , and the Coxs River , a tributary of the Nepean River . It could be followed upstream to the open plains of the Kanimbla Valley, the type of country that farmers prize. British settlers initially considered that fertile lands lay beyond the mountains; while in the belief of many convicts China lay beyond. However, there

1037-626: Is possible that he had crossed the mountains via the southern aspect at the Coxs River corridor, guided by the Aborigines. Governor Hunter was impressed by Wilson's skills and sent him on an expedition with John Price and others in January 1798. The party crossed the Nepean River and moved southwest towards the present site of Mittagong . There they turned west and found a route along the ridge where today

1098-656: Is puzzling for sediments which must have eroded from igneous rock. Their purity may reflect unusual conditions of chemical weathering, at a time when the Earth's atmosphere was beginning to be oxygenated. In Ireland areas of quartzite are found across the west and northwest, with Errigal in County Donegal as the most prominent outcrop. A good example of a quartzite area is on the Corraun Peninsula in County Mayo , which has

1159-509: Is sometimes called metaquartzite to emphasize its metamorphic origins. Quartzite is very resistant to chemical weathering and often forms ridges and resistant hilltops. The nearly pure silica content of the rock provides little material for soil ; therefore, the quartzite ridges are often bare or covered only with a very thin layer of soil and little (if any) vegetation. Some quartzites contain just enough weather-susceptible nutrient-bearing minerals such as carbonates and chlorite to form

1220-458: Is sometimes used in road construction. High purity quartzite is used to produce ferrosilicon , industrial silica sand, silicon and silicon carbide . During the Paleolithic , quartzite was used, along with flint , quartz , and other lithic raw materials, for making stone tools . Prehistoric humans in the southeastern United States often made mortars out of quartzite stones. As quartzite

1281-447: Is subjected to the great heat and pressure associated with regional metamorphism, the individual quartz grains recrystallize along with the former cementing material. Most or all of the original texture and sedimentary structures of the sandstone are erased by the metamorphism. The recrystallized quartz grains are roughly equal in size, forming what is called a granoblastic texture, and they also show signs of metamorphic annealing, in which

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1342-534: Is the location where Gidley King in 1799 established a prison town for political prisoners from Ireland and Scotland. The first documented use of the name Blue Mountains appears in Captain John Hunter 's account of Phillip's 1789 expedition up the Hawkesbury River. Describing the events of about 5 July, Hunter wrote: "We frequently, in some of the reaches which we passed through this day, saw very near us

1403-574: The Mesozoic period, rivers dumped vast amounts of sand , burying the other sedimentary rocks . By about 1 million years ago during the Pliocene era, the Blue Mountains began to form, carving out deep valleys and steep cliffs , with an elevation of 3,900 feet. Its main distinctive natural feature are the Three Sisters , a formation of triple sandstone peaks scoured by erosion , whose rocks are lit by

1464-501: The Precambrian basement rock of western North America. The quartzites in these successions are interpreted as sedimentary beds deposited atop older greenstone belts . The quartzite-rhyolite successions may record the formation of back-arc basins along the margin of Laurentia , the ancient core of North America, between episodes of mountain building during the assembly of the continent. The quartzites are often nearly pure quartz, which

1525-597: The Scottish Highlands , several mountains (e.g. Foinaven , Arkle ) composed of Cambrian quartzite can be found in the far north-west Moine Thrust Belt running in a narrow band from Loch Eriboll in a south-westerly direction to Skye . In continental Europe , various regionally isolated quartzite deposits exist at surface level in a belt from the Rhenish Massif and the German Central Highlands into

1586-598: The Wombeyan Caves Road is located. In the process they found a way to go west of the mountains, by going around them instead of across them. In March of the same year, Wilson and Price ventured to the Camden area, and then continued further south until they encountered Thirlmere Lakes , finally almost reaching the present site of Goulburn . It is possible that the accomplishments of this expedition were suppressed by Hunter, who may not have wanted convicts to know that there

1647-558: The Blue Mountains and surrounding areas. Examples of Aboriginal habitation can be found in many places. In the Red Hands Cave, a rock shelter near Glenbrook , the walls contain hand stencils from adults and children. On the southern side of Queen Elizabeth Drive, at Wentworth Falls , a rocky knoll has a large number of grinding grooves created by rubbing stone implements on the rock to shape and sharpen them. There are also carved images of animal tracks and an occupation cave. The site

1708-489: The Blue Mountains for its exceptional biodiversity, was enlisted by UNESCO and categorized itself as a natural World Heritage Site . On 18 July 2023, a proposal for a naming board in a dual Aboriginal name was discussed by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales whether the Blue Mountains would be officially named Gulumada. The climate varies with elevation. At Katoomba, (1,010 m or 3,314 ft)

1769-673: The Blue Mountains region is bounded by the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers in the east, the Coxs River and Lake Burragorang to the west and south, and the Wolgan and Colo rivers to the north. Geologically, it is situated in the central parts of the Sydney Basin . The Blue Mountains Range comprises a range of mountains , plateau escarpments extending off the Great Dividing Range about 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) northwest of Wolgan Gap in

1830-583: The Blue Mountains, Kanangra-Boyd, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Yengo, Nattai and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks, plus the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve. This site was chosen to be included on the World Heritage list because: "Criteria (ii) and (iv): Australia's eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains

1891-580: The Blue mountains. In 2022, two people died and two were injured when they were on a walking track in Wentworth Falls , and were hit by debris from a landslide. Quartzite The term quartzite is also sometimes used for very hard but unmetamorphosed sandstones that are composed of quartz grains thoroughly cemented with additional quartz. Such sedimentary rock has come to be described as orthoquartzite to distinguish it from metamorphic quartzite, which

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1952-578: The Centennial Glen cliffs near Blackheath and Mount Piddington near the town of Mount Victoria . Climbing is currently banned on The Three Sisters. Mountain biking takes place mainly on the many fire trails that branch away from the main spine of the Great Western Highway, such as Narrow Neck, Anderson's Fire Trail and others. Likewise many of the fire trails are popular with day hikers, though many dedicated walking trails exist away from

2013-582: The Grose Valley threatened several communities including Bell and Blackheath (the Lawsons Long Alley Fire). This latest fire burned for almost a month but was extinguished, mainly due to a change in the weather, without loss of human life or property. A program of winter burning seemed to have been successful in reducing fires in the upper mountains. In recent years, the bushfires have become far more destructive and expansive than before. The region

2074-864: The Morenci Copper Mine in Arizona . The town of Quartzsite in western Arizona derives its name from the quartzites in the nearby mountains in both Arizona and Southeastern California. A glassy vitreous quartzite has been described from the Belt Supergroup in the Coeur d’Alene district of northern Idaho . In Canada, the La Cloche Mountains in Ontario are composed primarily of white quartzite. Vast areas of Nova Scotia are underlain by quartzite. Paleoproterozoic quartzite- rhyolite successions are common in

2135-773: The United States, formations of quartzite can be found in some parts of Pennsylvania, the Washington DC area, eastern South Dakota , Central Texas, southwest Minnesota , Devil's Lake State Park in the Baraboo Range in Wisconsin , the Wasatch Range in Utah , near Salt Lake City, Utah and as resistant ridges in the Appalachians and other mountain regions. Quartzite is also found in

2196-491: The Upper Blue Mountains with many misty days. The predominant natural vegetation of the higher ridges is eucalyptus forest. Heath-like vegetation is present on plateau edges above cliffs. The sheltered gorges often contain temperate rainforests . There are also many hanging swamps with button grass reeds and thick, deep black soil. Wollemia nobilis , the "Wollemi pine", a relict of earlier vegetation of Gondwana ,

2257-870: The Western Czech Republic , for example in the Taunus and Harz mountains. In Poland, quartzite deposits at surface level exists in Świętokrzyskie Mountains . In Norway, deposits are quarried near Austertana , which is one of the largest quarries in the world at 850,000 tonnes (840,000 long tons; 940,000 short tons) annually, and Mårnes near Sandhornøya with an output of 150,000 tonnes (150,000 long tons; 170,000 short tons) annually. Deposits are also quarried in Kragerø Municipality , and several other deposits are known but not actively quarried. The highest mountain in Mozambique , Monte Binga (2436 m), as well as

2318-471: The abundant eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains may cause Mie scattering and thus the blue haze for which the mountains were named. A sandstone plateau dominated by a landscape of eucalyptus forests, the Blue Mountains are located at the top of a 470-million-year-old quartzite . In the Permian period, a shallow sea covered the region, when rivers brought shales , siltstones and mudstones . Then during

2379-469: The blazes may severely reduce the biodiversity of the area and even wipe out some of the threatened species in the area, such as the regent honeyeater . The Greater Blue Mountains Area was unanimously listed as a World Heritage Area by UNESCO on 29 November 2000, becoming the fourth area in New South Wales to be listed. The area totals roughly 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi), including

2440-496: The coldest air drains into the valleys during calm, clear nights. However, the passing of cold fronts can significantly lower the average temperature during the night and the day. The Blue Mountains is not known for particularly cold mornings compared to other areas on the Central Tablelands, such as Oberon, Bathurst and Orange. There are two to three snowfalls per year. Annual rainfall is about 1,050 millimetres (41 in) in

2501-606: The colony was in the grips of a drought. Evans and his party reached the Fish and Macquarie rivers, and the site of Bathurst . On 7 July 1814, construction of a road across the mountains was begun by William Cox . The work was at the behest of Governor Macquarie. 30 convict labourers and 8 guards completed the road on 14 January 1815 after 27 weeks of hard work. Since the Blue Mountains are rich in coal and shale, mining for these resources began in Hartley Vale in 1865. J.B. North ran

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2562-583: The early 2010s, the region's biodiversity and infrastructure has been severely affected by massive bushfires of unprecedented size and impact. In 2018 8.4 million people visited the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands Basalt Forests is a prominent forest community within the ecoregion. Following European settlement of the Sydney area, the area was named the Carmarthen and Lansdowne Hills by Arthur Phillip in 1788. The Carmarthen Hills were in

2623-511: The fire roads. Canyoning in the Blue Mountains is a popular sport and caters for various skill levels. It carries inherent dangers, yet for those with the appropriate skills or those looking to take a guided trip there are many great opportunities to experience a different view of the Blue Mountains. There are numerous abseiling options available in the Blue Mountains including single and multipitch routes. There are some restrictions though with certain areas being closed for abseiling. Cricket

2684-505: The first successful European crossing. Blaxland set out with Lawson and Wentworth on 11 May 1813 and succeeded in crossing the mountains by 31 May. They ventured as far as to what is now Mount Blaxland , just west of Coxs River . In November 1813, Macquarie sent the surveyor George Evans on an expedition to confirm the apparent discoveries made by Blaxland and his party. He was also told to see if there existed enough arable land to justify settlement. The issue had become more urgent because

2745-782: The glimpse of light at the time of day . The Blue Mountains have been inhabited for millennia by the Gundungurra people , now represented by the Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation based in Katoomba, and, in the lower Blue Mountains, by the Darug people , now represented by the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation. The Gundungurra creation story of the Blue Mountains tells that Dreaming creatures Mirigan and Garangatch, half fish and half reptile, fought an epic battle which scarred

2806-435: The grains become coarser and acquire a more polygonal texture. The grains are so tightly interlocked that when the rock is broken, it fractures through the grains to form an irregular or conchoidal fracture. Geologists had recognized by 1941 that some rocks show the macroscopic characteristics of quartzite, even though they have not undergone metamorphism at high pressure and temperature. These rocks have been subject only to

2867-525: The hills, which we suppose as seen from Port Jackson, and called by the governor the Blue Mountains." During the nineteenth century the name was commonly applied to the portion of the Great Dividing Range from about Goulburn in the south to the Hunter Valley in the north, but in time it came to be associated with a more limited area. The native Aborigines knew two routes across the mountains: Bilpin Ridge, which

2928-403: The landscape into the Jamison Valley . The Gundungurra Tribal Council is a nonprofit organisation representing the Gundungurra traditional owners , promoting heritage and culture and providing a support for Gundungurra people connecting back to Country. Gundungurra Tribal Council Aboriginal Corporation has a registered Native Title Claim since 1995 over their traditional lands, which include

2989-492: The much lower temperatures and pressures associated with diagenesis of sedimentary rock, but diagenesis has cemented the rock so thoroughly that microscopic examination is necessary to distinguish it from metamorphic quartize. The term orthoquartzite is used to distinguish such sedimentary rock from metaquartzite produced by metamorphism. By extension, the term orthoquartzite has occasionally been more generally applied to any quartz-cemented quartz arenite . Orthoquartzite (in

3050-464: The narrow sense) is often 99% SiO 2 with only very minor amounts of iron oxide and trace resistant minerals such as zircon , rutile and magnetite . Although few fossils are normally present, the original texture and sedimentary structures are preserved. The typical distinction between a true orthoquartzite and an ordinary quartz sandstone is that an orthoquartzite is so highly cemented that it will fracture across grains, not around them. This

3111-517: The north of the region and the Lansdowne Hills were in the south. The name Blue Mountains , however, was preferred and is derived from the blue tinge the range takes on when viewed from a distance. The tinge is believed to be caused by Mie scattering which occurs when incoming light with shorter wavelengths is preferentially scattered by particles within the atmosphere imparting a blue-greyish colour to any distant objects, including mountains and clouds. Volatile terpenoids emitted in large quantities by

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3172-419: The rest of the surrounding Chimanimani Plateau are composed of very hard, pale grey, Precambrian quartzite. Quartzite is also mined in Brazil for use in kitchen countertops. Quartzite is a decorative stone and may be used to cover walls, as roofing tiles, as flooring, and stairsteps. Its use for countertops in kitchens is expanding rapidly. It is harder and more resistant to stains than granite. Crushed quartzite

3233-424: The sandstone fortress west of the Nepean. Between 1798 and 1813, many people explored various parts of the mountains, from the Bilpin Ridge to the southern regions, today the site of the Kanangra-Boyd National Park . Still, they did not find a definite route across the mountains. The 1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains by Gregory Blaxland , William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth is officially credited as

3294-547: The summer average maximum temperature is around 22 °C with a few days extending into the 30s (80s–90s °F) although it is quite common to see maximum temperatures stay in the teens when east coast troughs persist. Night-time temperatures are usually in the teens but can drop to single figures at times. During winter, the temperature is typically around 10 to 11 °C in the daytime with −1 °C or so on clear nights and 3 to 4 °C on cloudy nights. Very occasionally it will get down to −3 °C or slightly lower but usually

3355-446: The time which came to light in the late 1980s. Wilson arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 and was freed in 1792. He settled in the bush, living with the Aborigines and even functioning as an intermediary between them and the settlers. In 1797 he returned to Sydney, claiming to have explored up to a hundred miles in all directions around Sydney, including across the mountains. His descriptions and observations were generally accurate, and it

3416-406: The watershed between Coxs River to the south and the Grose and Wolgan rivers to the north. The range contains the Explorer Range and the Bell Range. Once considered impassable by settlers, the 1813 expedition by Blaxland , Wentworth and Lawson opened up the interior to British settlement. Today, the Blue Mountains area includes the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains . Since

3477-418: The western outskirts of the Greater Sydney area. The region borders on Sydney 's main metropolitan area, its foothills starting about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of centre of the state capital , close to Penrith . The public's understanding of the extent of the Blue Mountains is varied, as it forms only part of an extensive mountainous area associated with the Great Dividing Range . As defined in 1970,

3538-421: Was a relatively easy way out of Sydney. Wilson was killed by Aborigines after abducting an Aboriginal woman "for his personal use", but he had accomplished much as an explorer. He was never recognised as the first person to cross the mountains, possibly because his Coxs River journey could not be verified, while his route west of Mittagong may have been the "long way around" for a colony that had its eyes fixed on

3599-476: Was little fear that the mountains might provide a means of escape since they were considered impassable. This idea was, to some extent, convenient for local authorities. An "insurmountable" barrier would deter convicts from trying to escape in that direction. A former convict, John Wilson, may have been the first colonist to cross the Blue Mountains. It is also believed that Matthew Everingham , 1795, may have also been partly successful based on letters he wrote at

3660-418: Was once considered to be the Blue Mountains is Mount Bindo , with an elevation 1,362 m (4,469 ft) AHD . A large part of the Blue Mountains is incorporated into the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site , consisting of seven national park areas and a conservation reserve. The Blue Mountains area is a distinct physiographic section of the larger Hunter-Hawkesbury Sunkland province. This

3721-512: Was severely damaged in the 2013 New South Wales bushfires . However, even this was dwarfed by the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season , during which the entire mountain range was devastated at a scale never seen before. According to preliminary reports, up to 80% of the World Heritage Area has burned as of January 2020, many of these being areas that had never burned in any previously observed bushfires. These destructive blazes have been linked to accelerating climate change . There have been fears that

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