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James McGeachy CIS 1050 The Grand Canyon 36°06′N 112°06′W I chose the Grand Canyon because I’ve never been there, but I’ve always wanted to see it. • Located entirely in Arizona • Carved by the Colorado River • 277 miles long • Depths of over a mile long • Reaches 18 miles in width Overview • Steep-sided canyon • Vishnu schist rocks, Layered Paleozoic Sedimentary rocks, Precambrian Supergroup rocks • Vascular plants, fungi, moss, and lichen grow in the Grand Canyon. • 34 mammal species inhabit the Canyon, mostly rodents. • Weather and climate vary depending on elevation within the Canyon. • South Rim- less than 16 inches of precipitation • North Rim- 27 inches of precipitation • Phantom Ranch- 8 inches of precipitation • Temperatures vary from 0-100 degrees. • The Grand Canyon is mainly a tourist attraction. Rocks 1.8 billion years old: Vishnu Schist- metamorphic Zoroaster Granite- igneous 515 million years old: 340 million years old: Hermit Shale- sedimentary 275 million years old: Supai Group (limestone/sandstone/shale)- sedimentary 280 million years old: Redwall Limestone- sedimentary 300 million years old: Bright Angel Shale- sedimentary Coconino Sandstone- sedimentary 270 million years ago: Kalibab Limestone- sedimentary Minerals Copper Silver Uranium Quartz Calcium Carbonate Kaolin Weathering Mechanical weathering primarily shapes the Grand Canyon. Erosion from the winds alter the physical appearance of the Canyon. The Colorado River weathers the Canyon by the water eroding the rocks. Groundwater and Glaciers It is believed that glaciers did not play a role in the formation of the Grand Canyon. What caused it’s formation was erosion from rivers and streams. Although the Grand Canyon is not a desert, parts exhibit desert climate, such as the inner gorge. The Grand Canyon is rich with groundwater In fact, water from the Grand Canyon is supplied as drinking water for visitors. contains vast and expansive aquifer systems many natural seeps and springs within the canyon Fossils and Relative Age The Grand Canyon has an abundant and diverse fossil record including: Marine Life Terrestrial Plants Insects Most recent fossils are 11,000 years old Over a billion years of fossil records! Contains 32% of the earth’s geologic time in fossil records and sedimentation Records date back to over a billion years old, however the canyon itself is only 5 to 6 million years old Natural Hazards The Grand Canyon, as well as Arizona as a whole is relatively free of natural disasters. Due to it’s relatively hot and arid climate away from the ocean no hurricanes ever occur. Tornadoes are also very uncommon and the risk is lower than the national average. Earthquakes are the most likely natural disaster to occur, yet the risk in the Grand Canyon is still lower than the national average. There are two volcanoes within 70 miles of the Canyon, however, neither have erupted in recent history. Although no natural hazards happen regularly it does have a very hot and arid climate, arguably the most extreme in the United States. Sources http://www.nps.gov/grca/forteachers/upload/GeoArticle-2.pdf http://explorethecanyon.com/geology-of-the-grand-canyon/ http://npshistory.com/nature_notes/grca/vol7-5c.htm http://rachelnk14.blogspot.com/2012/11/rocks.html http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/seepspringstudy.htm http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/fossils.htm http://www.usa.com/grand-canyon-az-natural-disasters-extremes.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon
