Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a famous canyon in Arizona, formed by the Colorado River. It is a national park of the United States, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and is over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet) deep in places.[1] Nearly two billion years of the Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.[2]
Evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago.[3][4][5] Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to the point we see it at today.[6]
Many people come from around the world to visit the Grand Canyon. People can also take trips floating on the Colorado River in boats and rafts. Some people like to hike in the Grand Canyon. The land on the north side of the Grand Canyon is called the North Rim. The land on the south side of the Grand Canyon is called the South Rim. There are trails leading from the North Rim and the South Rim to the bottom of the canyon. These trails lead to a place at the bottom of the canyon called Phantom Ranch. Phantom Ranch has a campground and cabins where hikers can spend the night. Some people also ride mules into the Grand Canyon. Most people who visit the Grand Canyon drive in cars to the South Rim and just look at the canyon from the rim and take pictures.
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[change] References
- ↑ Kiver, E.P.; Harris, D.V. (1999). Geology of US Parklands. Wiley. p. 902.
- ↑ Geologic Formations of the Grand Canyon National Park Service Retrieved 2009-11-17
- ↑ Ranney, Wayne (2005). Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery. Grand Canyon Association. ISBN 978-0-938216-82-7.
- ↑ "Grand Canyon Still Grand but Older". New York Times. 2008-03-07. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/science/07canyon.html?ref=us.
- ↑ Polyak, Victor; Hill, Carol; Asmerom, Yemane (2008-03-07). "Age and Evolution of the Grand Canyon Revealed by U-Pb Dating of Water Table-Type Speleothems". Science 319 (5868): 1377–1380. doi:10.1126/science.1151248. PMID 18323451.
- ↑ Butler, Bill. "Evolution of the Colorado River and its Tributaries including the Origin and Formation of the Grand Canyon Geologic History of the Grand Canyon". http://www.durangobill.com/Paleorivers_preface.html. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
