Sunday, August 12, 2012

The Grand Canyon

No trip to Arizona would be complete without a trip to the Grand Canyon.



It is spectacular, you can bearly see the Colorado river.


The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile.


It is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world.


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.


Here's Brittany and I on the edge of the canyon.


While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists,recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago.


The Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape.


Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon.


These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.


Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration.


A powerful and inspiring landscape, Grand Canyon overwhelms through its immense size. Truly a sight to see!


3 comments:

Avril Tanner said...

Absolutely Breathtaking!!! Just Gorgeous!

Deanna said...

Wow, I have to get there!

Rosemary said...

Loved the photos.... and the geology lesson