The Grand Canyon

I can’t believe it! We were driving to the Grand Canyon! I was so excited. Then I thought hey, how was the Grand Canyon formed? By an earthquake or a volcanic eruption? Then the car stopped. I looked up from of my thoughts. WOW, no time to think, we’re here! I picked up a brochure at the entrance. It had a lot of information in it, like this.

Weathering

Weathering is the process that the Grand Canyon was formed. It wasn’t formed by a volcano or an earthquake it was weathering. Weathering is the process of wind, water, or ice breaking down rock into sediment. An example is it could happen by wind picking up sand or other minerals and blowing them into the sides of the Grand Canyon making it wider. Another example of a way how weathering carves the Grand Canyon is by the Colorado River. The Colorado River cuts through the Grand Canyon, wearing away the bottom of the canyon making it deeper. This process takes millions of years. For example scientists believe that it took 6 million years to carve the Grand Canyon. That’s a very, very long time!

Erosion

Erosion is the process that helped the Grand Canyon form.it helped move away the sediment that weathering brought. Erosion is when water, wind, gravity, or ice picks up and carries away weathered rock (sediment) and soil, and deposits it in a new location. An example for water erosion is the Colorado River. It cuts through the canyon picking up weathered rock and moving it somewhere else. An example of rain erosion is the rain washing down sediment from the canyon walls. An example of wind eroding the Grand Canyon is the wind blowing away the sediment to a new place. This process also take is a very long time. It took millions of years to erode the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Today

The Grand Canyon today is giant! It is approximately 1,609 meters at its deepest point. That’s 5,208 feet! Weathering played a big part in forming the Grand Canyon. It made the canyon deeper and wider. Erosion also played a big part in forming the Grand Canyon. It moved unwanted sediment to new locations. The Grand Canyon is a national park now. President Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national park on January 11, 1908. Ever since then nobody can change the Grand Canyon. You can do a lot of things for recreation at the Grand Canyon. You could hike in the Canyon, you could bike the Canyon, and you could raft in the Colorado River. There is many things you could do in the Canyon. As you can see the Grand Canyon is a very interesting land form. Weathering and erosion played a big part in forming the Grand Canyon. You should take the time to learn more about the Canyon. It is truly amazing. Book a trip today, and see all the wonderful sites!

Posted by: Harry the Hobo