Grand Canyon Research Paper

Words: 336
Pages: 2

The Grand Canyon was formed 5 to 6 million years ago. The Grand canyon was formed by erosion, primarily by water(and ice), and by wind. The Colorado river carved the canyon at the eastern end. The Grand Canyon was underwater and tiny pieces of rocks called sediments were in the layers. As the earth’s surface moved the rock layers pushed up. Erosion has exposed the ancient rock layers in the canyon. “The Colorado River created the gap that is now the Grand canyon.”(1) The different rock layers that can be found in the Grand canyon are precambrian basement rocks which was formed 1.8 billion years ago. The other type of rock is called bright angel shale which was forming in the grand canyon 515 million years ago. Another rock is coconino sandstone which creates a broad, light-colored cliff a few hundred feet below the rim of the grand canyon. …show more content…
There are also common fossils found in the sedimentary rock layers in the grand canyon. The oldest rock layer is close to 2 billion. “The oldest rocks at the canyon bottom are close to 2 billion years old.”(3) This layer is called stromatolites which is found in the canyon. The first/youngest layer is 250-255 million years old. The next layer is 30 million years older. The oldest rock layer is at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The Grand canyon is changing because of the work of geologists. The geologists began changing the public’s opinion of the Grand canyon. “ It was the work of geologists that began changing the public’s opinion of the Grand Canyon region from that of “a worthless locale” to “the most sublime of earthly spectacles.” The Grand Canyon is also changing because the site where the Grand canyon exists today has not always been there. “ The red dots mark the location of the Grand Canyon at each specified time in geologic history.”