Grand Canyon National Park
The Grand Canyon is among the earth's greatest on-going
geological spectacles. Its vastness is stunning, and the evidence it reveals
about the earth's history is invaluable. About 65 million years ago in the
earth's shifting, a huge area of land was lifted a mile and a half above
sea level, forming what is now the Colorado Plateau. For the last 6 to 10
million years, the Colorado River has been slowly carving its way dwon through
the many layers of rock. The river, together with the erosive forces of
wind, rain, snow, heat and cold, has formed a pectacular gorge one-mile
deep and at some points 18 miles across. The colorful strata of the canyon
walls reveal the rock formations of the earth's evolution from nearly 2
billion years ago; they contain fossils of the earliest living things from
500 million years ago. The river continues to carve into the earth's surface.
(Inscribed in 1979)
Last Modified: Fri, Sep 11 1998 04:25:52 pm EDT
MLO
