The Grand Canyon is located in the state of Arizona. The Grand Canyon is known all over the world for its size, incredible scenery and beauty.
The Grand Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon, is one of the most amazing natural creations on Earth, like Table Mountain, Halong Bay, the underground Puerto Princesa River and other non-man-made wonders of the world.
General information
This natural wonder is located in the US state of Arizona, on the territory of the National Park, also called “Grand Canyon”.
The gorge is 446 km long. Its width in the upper part ranges from 6-30 km, in the lower part – from 800 to 1000 meters. The maximum depth reaches 1700-1800 meters.
Contrary to popular misconception, the Canyon is neither the deepest nor the largest in the world.
This natural wonder is valued mainly for its harmonious combination of depth, length, unique geological structure of the slopes and, of course, for its amazing beauty and grandeur.
History
The formation of the gorge took place over the course of about 10 million years due to the” efforts ” of the Colorado River, which made its way along the plateau of the same name. Initially, the place where the river flows was a plain, but due to crustal shifts, the Colorado Plateau has risen, as a result, the angle of the Colorado River current has changed. The significantly increased current began its destructive work, washing out the soft rocks of the upper layers of the plateau. After the river reached the hard, deep layers of granite, growth slowed, but did not stop. And now the American wonder of nature continues to grow.
The fast-moving waters of Colorado carry thousands of tons of clay, sand, pebbles, and even large boulders. This peculiar “emery” gradually rubs the bottom of the gorge, deepening it by about a quarter of a millimeter per year.
By the way, it is clay and sand that give the muddy waters of the river a reddish-brown color, for which Colorado got its name, which means ” Red ” in Spanish.
Interesting facts about the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon of the USA, also called the Grand Canyon – is a unique creation of nature. By exposing the karst strata, it provides an excellent opportunity for tourists not only to explore the history from ancient times, but also to immerse themselves in the mysterious atmosphere of this place.
As you know, the formation of the quarry occurred due to changes in the angle of inclination of the Colorado River as a result of movements of the Earth’s crust. The speed of the current increased significantly, which was the reason for the leaching of rocks.
The flora and fauna of the canyon is quite diverse due to its location in several natural areas at once, which have their own climatic features.
The Grand Canyon became infamous in 1956, when 128 people were killed in a plane crash. The pilots of both planes, performing turns over the canyon, wanted to show passengers all its beauty, as a result of which they did not calculate the trajectory and collided.
Among the tourists who visit the canyon, there are daredevils rafting down the Colorado River on rafts to see it from the inside.
A couple of years ago, the famous tightrope walker N. Wallenda ventured to conquer the canyon, passing on a tightrope over a precipice without insurance.
Local population
The indigenous inhabitants of these places were the Pueblo Indians. There are still caves hollowed out by the Indians in the walls of the hollows. Even today, many lands in the national park area are home to Indian reservations. the hollow
The first Europeans to visit this place in the mid-16th century were Spanish soldiers who wandered into this area in search of gold. More than 300 years passed before scientists became interested in the unique wonder of nature.
In 1869, a scientific expedition led by John Powell passed on rafts on the Colorado River. The result of the expedition was the first detailed study, description and map of the area.
Flora and fauna
The vast territory of the park is a complex complex of different ecosystems. The hottest and driest zones are those close to the bottom of the gorge, where only desert plants survive. As you climb the slope, it changes to deciduous, and then coniferous forests.
In total, the flora and fauna of the Grand Canyon includes up to 1,500 species of vegetation and about 500 species of representatives of the animal world.
A paradise for explorers
Grand Canyon is a real paradise for archaeologists and paleontologists. Biologists and geologists.Due to the” solid age ” of the gorge, it has preserved traces of 4 geological eras of the planet.
Externally, the slopes alternate brown, purple, yellow, pink layers of various rocks resemble a layer cake. In addition, landslides and erosion “carved out” on the walls of the gorge bizarre outlines of huge pyramids, fancy pagodas and towers.
Some of these “structures” are given proper names: the Temple of Shiva, the Throne of Wotan, the Temple of Vishnu, etc.
Grand Canyon Attractions
Numerous streams flow into the Colorado Canyon, forming steep rapids and picturesque waterfalls. Beaver Falls, Moonee Falls, and Havasu Falls are the most popular destinations for tourists.
Other popular attractions are the black cone of Buccaneer Stone, formed about 10 thousand years ago from ash as a result of volcanic activity, and the Esplanade-a red sandstone terrace, impressive blocks of bizarre shapes frozen over the abyss.
It is difficult to describe in words the scale and grandeur of this grandiose gorge with its numerous caves, waterfalls, cliffs, ravines and a whole complex of side branches. This amazing creation of nature can be admired hundreds of times, and each time it will look new: the sultry haze, the bizarre movement of shadows from clouds, the change in the angle of incidence of the sun’s rays transform the appearance of this beauty again and again.
Note to the tourist
Tourists are offered many different ways to explore the beauty of the park: hiking, horseback riding on horses or mules, traveling by train along the edge of the gorge, visiting the park from an airplane.
Adventurous travelers are invited to explore Colorado on rubber rafts along the Powell Expedition route. And, of course, you can admire the surrounding landscapes from special viewing platforms.
The most popular of these sites is called “Sky Path” and is a horseshoe-shaped transparent bridge hanging over the abyss at an altitude of about 1220 meters.
The southern part of the canyon is constantly open to tourists, excursions to the northern part are possible from May to October.
10 facts about the Grand Canyon You didn’t Know
The Grand Canyon (also known as the Grand Canyon) is one of the most popular natural attractions in the United States. It is visited by more than 5 million (!) people a year. Thanks to this popularity, there is practically nothing left that we don’t know about the Grand Canyon – many facts wander from website to website, from prospectus to prospectus. In this regard, we present 10 facts about the Grand Canyon that you may not have known.
1. The territory of the Grand Canyon is still home to the Havasupai tribe of North American Indians, which translates as “people of blue-green water”. They live in a village near one of the tributaries of the Colorado, the Havasu River. You can get here by helicopter or by hiking trails that wind along the canyon walls.
2. This may be disappointing to many, but the Grand Canyon is not the largest canyon in the world. In terms of size, it ranks second in the world and is second in length and depth to Tsangpo Canyon in Tibet.
3. You can’t buy water in plastic bottles in Grand Canyon National Park. Recently, all retail outlets have been closed. It turned out that 20% of all waste produced by the park is made up of plastic bottles. You may ask: what should I do if I get thirsty? It’s simple: bring a sports flask or a refillable water flask. Throughout the park there are special “watering stations” where you can fill your flask with clean drinking water for free unlimited times.
4. No dinosaur remains have been found in the bottom rocks of the Grand Canyon. And all because these rocks are much older – about 2000 million years. From the fossils found here are corals, sponges and trilobites. The canyon itself began to form 5-6 million years ago.
5. People lived in the Grand Canyon for 3,000 years ago. Archaeological findings suggest that the first human settlements on the territory and in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon appeared already 3000-4000 thousand years ago. Since then, the local landscape has not changed much. Remember this if you are lucky enough to visit here. When you look at the sunset or sunrise over the Grand Canyon – you will see the same scenery that the locals saw a few thousand years ago!
6. The Grand Canyon was “discovered” in 1540 by the Spanish expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. The Spaniards reached the canyon in search of Native American riches and the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. They stayed in the Canyon for a short time due to lack of water. Of course, there were no “watering stations” back then (see point 3):)
7. According to statistics, the Grand Canyon is quite a dangerous place. Several people die here every year. For example, in 2014, the Grand Canyon claimed the lives of 18 people. The causes are different – heart attack, suicide, road accident, falling from a height and other accidents. From 1925 to 2005, 53 people died falling from the canyon’s edge, and another 48 people died from various causes while in the canyon itself. Several people were killed when they lost control and fell into the canyon along with their cars.
8. The Grand Canyon, even before it became one of the main tourist attractions in the United States, was a place of worship and pilgrimage among the indigenous peoples who inhabited this area. It was believed that this place was inhabited by spirits and that a great natural power was contained here.
9. There is a South Kaibab Trail running across the canyon. Traversing the canyon wall, it crosses the Colorado River and climbs the opposite wall. The route is 34 kilometers long. It takes at least two days to complete this route, and you’ll also have to spend the night right in the canyon. Such a hike is clearly not for beginners – the temperature differences between the top and bottom of the canyon reach several degrees, and you also need to carry a tent!
10.It takes about 5 hours to drive around the canyon by car. The distance from the Southern to Northern edge of the canyon directly is only 15 kilometers. But to get from one edge to another by car, you will have to go around the canyon completely. The journey will take 350 km and about 5 hours. This is why most people only manage to visit the canyon from one side in one day. There is a special bus called the Transcanyon Shuttle that will take you from the north of the canyon to the south and back in one day. A round-trip ticket costs about $150. Perhaps, in this case, you should take a helicopter tour. You will spend $100 more, but in just 20 minutes you will see the Canyon completely from all possible points and save a lot of time.
