The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a high-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 kilometers) long, 18 miles (29 kilometers) wide, and has a depth of more than a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).
The ravine and its adjacent edge are located inside Grand Canyon National Park, Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation, and the Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a strong supporter of protecting the Grand Canyon area, and he visited it on numerous occasions to pursue and appreciate the breathtaking views.
The Colorado River and its tributaries have carved their channels through layer after layer of rock as the Colorado Plateau was raised, revealing over two billion years of Earth’s topography. While geologists debate the historical context of the gulch’s entry location, recent research supports the notion that the Colorado River established its course through the region between 5 and 6 million years ago. Since then, the Colorado River has driven the downcutting of the tributaries and the withdrawal of the bluffs, while also extending and expanding the gorge.
Native Americans have owned the area for thousands of years, establishing settlements within the gulch and its numerous tunnels. The Pueblo people revered the Grand Canyon and made pilgrimages there. García López de Cárdenas, a Spanish explorer, was the first European to visit the Grand Canyon in 1540.
Topography
The beautiful Grand Canyon is a stream valley in the Colorado Plateau that exposed elevated Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata. It is also one of the six distinct physiographic segments of the Colorado Plateau area. It is not the world’s deepest ravine (the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal is much deeper). Regardless, the Grand Canyon is well-known for its massive size and mind-bogglingly dazzling scenery. Topographically, it is massive due to the dense grouping of ancient rocks that are both protected and exposed in the gorge’s dividers. These stone layers preserve much of the early geologic history of the North American landmass.
The Plateau’s increased elevation has also resulted in more significant precipitation in the Colorado River seepage area, although not enough to alter the Grand Canyon region from semi-arid. The Colorado Plateau’s slope is uneven, and the Kaibab Plateau, which the Grand Canyon cuts through, is more than a thousand feet (300 meters) higher at the North Rim than at the South. All spillover from the North Rim (which also receives more rain and snow) flows into the Grand Canyon, while a significant portion of the overflow on the level behind the South Rim flows from the gorge (following the general tilt). The result is deeper and longer tributary washes and gorges on the north side, and shorter and more dramatic side ravines on the south.
Temperatures on the North Rim are often lower than on the South Rim due to the greater elevation. Heavy rains are common around the two margins throughout the late spring months. Access to the North Rim via the main route leading into the gorge (State Route 67) is limited during the winter season due to road restrictions.
Leave feedback about this