The Grand Canyon is one of the most unusual geological sites on our planet, so it is very well researched. In it you can find 4 geological eras of the Earth, a variety of rocks and caves containing rich geological, biological and archaeological material. The canyon is considered one of the best examples of soil erosion. The Colorado River originally flowed across the plain, but as a result of the movement of the earth’s crust about 65 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau rose. The uplift of the plateau changed the angle of the Colorado River’s flow, resulting in an increase in its speed and its ability to erode the rock in its path. First of all, the river eroded the upper limestones, and then took on the deeper and older sandstones and shales. That’s how the Grand Canyon was formed. This happened about 5-6 million years ago. The canyon is still growing today because of continued erosion.
The Grand Canyon was formed over a period of about 10 million years: the plain on which the Colorado River flowed was uplifted by underground forces, and the water flow gradually cut into the plateau, washing out the fairly soft rocks of the canyon – limestone, sandstone and shale. Now at the bottom of the canyon the most ancient rocks – granites, the destruction of which is much slower. The red-brown waters of the Colorado River (the name of the river itself means “red” in Spanish) rush through the gorge at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, rolling huge boulders and pebbles along the bottom and carrying so much sand and clay that the river becomes completely opaque. In a day, the Colorado takes to the sea about half a million tons of rocks. Rocks and sand carried by the river increase the destructive effect produced by the Colorado, and even the strongest granites of the canyon bed are rubbed by this “sandpaper” annually by a quarter of a millimeter.
The vast expanse of the canyon does not look like a mere long narrow hole in the ground. It is filled with disorderly clusters of cliffs-islands, having the most bizarre shape. Landslides, water and wind erosion created in the walls of the canyon outlines of giant pagodas, pyramids, towers, fortress walls, representing a unique in beauty and grandeur of the spectacle. Many of them have their own names: Temple of Vishnu, Temple of Shiva, Throne of Wotan, etc.
All this diverse stone labyrinth, as well as the giant walls of the canyon, is lined with alternating yellow, pink, red, brown and brown layers of sedimentary rocks that compose the plateau. These nearly the world’s most complete geologic outcrops represent 1.5 billion years of Earth’s history.
The climate on the plateau and at the bottom of the canyon is sharply different – when it is about fifteen degrees Celsius above, at the bottom of the canyon, among the glowing rocks, the temperature rises to plus forty.
The wildlife of the canyon is also interesting. At the bottom of the canyon is a typical Mexican landscape with a variety of cacti, agaves, yuccas. As you ascend, oaks, birches and willows begin to appear, and even higher up, the zone of pines and junipers extends. The rich fauna includes about 100 species of birds and 60 species of mammals, among which there are several extremely rare species.
Nature
Within the canyon there is altitudinal zonality, although the boundaries of the zones are very blurred. Temperature, humidity and consequently the fauna, soils and the plants growing on them change with altitude. Spruce, yellow pine, and fir grow in the canyon.
Fauna
Yellow pine arrays are home to an endemic squirrel species, Sciurus aberti kaibabensis. Black-tailed deer are found in the dense coniferous forests near the canyon’s upper boundary. Piranga budoviciana, the West American tanager, arrives in the forests in early spring.