This awe-inspiring natural wonder was created over thousands of years by
the rushing waters of the Colorado River.
ANYONE who has ever doubted the power of water need look no further than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The canyon, one of the natural wonders of the world, was literally carved out by the rushing Colorado River.
The term “mountain lying down” was given to the great canyon by the Paiute natives who occupied the area. The term ”Grand Canyon” was first used by John Wesley Powell in the 1870s. No matter what you call it, the canyon will take your breath away.
Native people lived in the Grand Canyon about 4,000 years ago. In 1540, Spanish captain Garcia Lopez de Cardenas and his group became the first non-natives to see the canyon, while searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola.
Spanish priests were the next group of nonnatives that arrived, 200 years later. In 1869, JohnWesley Powell led the Powell Geographic Expedition through the canyon on the Colorado River.
The first settlers arrived along the canyon’s rim in the 1880s, lured by the economic promise of mineral resources. By the turn of the century, though, the Grand Canyon was already a tourist attraction – and, in fact, tourism proved to be far more profitable than mining.
The canyon’s geological history is revealed in its layers, which are made up of limestone, sandstone and shale. The oldest layers are more than 2 billion years old.
Just how did the mighty Colorado River carve its way through solid rock to form the Grand Canyon?
There are no definitive answers, but it is speculated that a series of events resulted in the canyon as we know it.
The rock of which the canyon is made was not always where it is today. AlfredWegener’s Continental-Drift Theory proved that the Earth’s continents do, in fact, move.
The canyon was created by erosion caused by ice, water and wind. The rushing waters of the Colorado River were the key factor. Continental drift, in which the Earth’s plates actually shift, also contributed to the canyon’s formation. The North American plate, which contains the Grand Canyon, was once located much farther south and was subject to a different climate, which undoubtedly affected the rock formation.
Most of the rock that forms the canyon is composed of sedimentary layers that form only at the bottom of the ocean. That rock was then pushed up to the surface. All of this began about 1.7 billion years ago.
Water was especially effective because the canyon is located in a desert. Desert soil that is baked in the sun is very hard and cannot absorb water. And when water does come, it erodes the soil. It seeps into the rock, and when it freezes, it pushes the rock apart and widens the cracks.
Flash floods continue to change the landscape. Flooding is also caused by melted ice from the Colorado Rockies to the north of the canyon. These floods move the soil, along with boulders as big as cars, down into the river.
The construction of the Glen Canyon Dam stopped the annual spring floods that occurred regularly every May and June, but a lot of water still moves quickly through the relatively narrow canyon gorge. It just has to work a bit harder and longer to get the job done.
The Grand Canyon was declared a national monument and, with the backing of President Theodore Roosevelt, was declared a national park in 1908.
The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most beautiful places in our country to visit. It is a gift from nature for all of us to enjoy.
“Do nothing to mar its grandeur, for the ages have been at work upon it and man cannot improve it. Keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
NEW YORK POST ACTIVITIES
USE a map or globe to locate the Grand Canyon.
USE the Internet or other reference source to learn more about AlfredWegener and
the continental-drift theory.
MAKE a list of the different plants and animals that live in the canyon and ways that they survive.
LEARN more about the composition of layers that make up the Grand Canyon. Where else can we find them?
Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: ELA 1c, 3c, 3d, 5a Social Studies Standard 3 Science Standards 4a, 4