Grand Canyon
In the world of geography exists The Seven Natural Wonders of the World: The Grand Canyon, Iguazú Falls, Yosemite Valley's giant sequoias, Mount Everest, the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, the Nile River, and the Aurora Borealis. Among these natural wonders, the Grand Canyon is one of the most grandest and beautiful. Appropriately named, the Grand Canyon is so enormous that it can even be seen from space. The Canyon is unmatched throughout the world in the landscapes that it offers to its visitors. Although it not the deepest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its overwhelming size and its colorful landscape. The park preserves more than 2,700 archaeological sites of Native Americans, who have lived there at least 4,000 years. The Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919. It is not certain exactly how old the Grand Canyon actually is. Although rocks that are exposed in the walls of the canyon are geologically quite old, the Canyon itself is fairly. The oldest rocks at the canyon bottom are close to 2000 million years old. The Canyon itself was an erosional feature, which has only formed in the past five or six million years. So, geologically speaking, the Grand Canyon is considered q
The Grand Canyon attracts the attention of the world for many reasons, but is greatest significance lies in the geological record. The rocks that are found in the Grand Canyon are not unique in many ways, as similar rocks have been found throughout the world. What is indeed unique about the geological record at the Grand Canyon is the vast variety of rocks that exist. These exposed rocks can tell a very complex geological story. It is said that there are two geological stories associated with the Grand Canyon. The first and older story is derived from the sequence of rocks exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rocks provide a record of the Paleozoic Era, which is approximately 250-550 million years ago. Along these canyon walls also exists scattered remains of Precambrian rocks as old as 2000 million years. The story of these rocks is much older than the canyon. Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks, which are from the period 250 million years ago to the present, are lacking in the Grand Canyon. Geologists believe that these rocks were either worn away or were never deposited. A second geological story exists and deals with when and how the canyon came about. The layered wall of rocks is a geology book of Earth's history. The top layer of Kaibab limestone, which was formed of the remains of corals, sponges, and other marine animals, is the youngest at about 240 million years old. At the bottom lies the Vishnu Schist, about 1.7 billion years old, which are some of Earth's oldest rocks. The layers of rock between reveal a history of mountain upheaval, lava deposits, erosion by wind and water, and submersion by the seas. Finally the land rose, forming the Colorado Plateau. Then five or six million years ago, the Colorado River began to cut the layers of rock, forming the Grand Canyon. In general, the Grand Canyon is an erosional feature that was created by the Colorado River. The river is mainly responsible for the depth of the canyon. Water from rain, snowmelt, and streams also helped to shape the canyon. Although the climate of the Grand Canyon is considered semi-arid, when rain does come, it comes as violent storms. Erosional features are more evident in these areas that receive
Some common words found in the essay are:
Grand Canyon, Colorado River, grand canyon, Canyon Geologists, Near Southern, Vishnu Schist, Paleozoic Era, Canyon Dam, National Park, Park Service, Lake Mead, colorado river, glen canyon, canyon walls, national park, glen canyon dam, throughout world, canyon considered, canyon lake, canyon dam, natural wonders, canyon grand canyon, grand canyon national, grand canyon actually, exposed walls canyon,
Approximate Word count = 1493
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
