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Grand Canyon National Park.

      The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona.  It achieved national park status in 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service.  There are about five million visitors to the park each year.  Up from about 45,000 in 1919.  The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long, as much as 18 miles wide, and a mile deep.  The park covers over one million acres of land.  It was carved by the Colorado River and is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. 

     The Grand Canyon is a product of erosion by water, freezing, and wind over an estimated period of 20 to 35 million years.  The Colorado River is the primary drainage for the Rocky Mountains, which formed about 60 million years ago and is also the primary source of water and erosion for the Grand Canyon.  Some of the layers through which the Colorado River flows are much younger, 5 to 10 million years old (to the west of the Grand Canyon).  It is believed that uplift and redirection of the river is the cause for cutting through more recent layers.  

     The layers of rock found in the Grand Canyon walls represent 1/3rd of our planets age, with sediments making up the upper sections, for the most part, and metamorphic and volcanic rock at the lower portions.  Layers range from the Kaibab Limestone near the top of the canyon, at 250 million years old, to the Vishnu Schist, over two billion years old, at the bottom.  The sediments were laid down during periods when the area was covered by ancient seas.  Many of these layers contain traces of ancient sea life which include: mollusks, brachiopods, coral, sea lilies, worms, and fish teeth.  The seas rose and retreated many times, accounting for the many different layers we see today.  Between many of these layers were also layers that were the result of aeolian sand dune depositions.  Any layers more recent than the Kaibab Limestone, laid down 250 million years ago, have been completely eroded away from the vicinity of the Grand Canyon.

     My intent here, with the Grand Canyon photos (purchased-mostly), is not to go into verbal depth on anything.  But, to let the photos and their sub-titles speak for themselves.  We add new items and information, to the site, monthly.  Be sure to look for page links.  Over half the site (and ALL of the really cool non-product information-like this page) is buried in these page links.  So, just like at the museum, look for all the little things (links) that might otherwise be overlooked.  Enjoy!!!