Transcript The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon
By: Emily Erlich
Research Topics! (Home)
What
environmental
issues are
affecting your
park?
How was it formed?
When
and why
US map
What type
of rocks
can be
found?
How is the
land in the
park
currently
changing?
was it
created?
Special Features
Click a
button,
any
button!
Bibliography
Topographic
Map
How is technology used?
Resources page
Or just
click
through
the slides
Resources page
This page has
ALL of the
resources on it!
http://www.ohranger.com/grand-canyon/preserving-park
How was it formed?
The Grand Canyon was formed by erosion.
Over millions of years, the Grand Canyon was
formed. With the help of rain and a few other
sources, the Colorado River eroded the land to
form the Grand Canyon.
MUCH more info.
That’s so cool!!!
More info on how it was formed
It began when, large rocks were compressed and
broken down under a lot of heat and pressure. Then,
hot magma got in the cracks and cooled. Over time,
things like limestone, sandstone, ancient oceans, and
ancient desserts piled on top of those rocks. Then,
the North American plate and the Pacific plate
collided, pushing the land up 7,000 feet high, to form
the Colorado plateau. Finally, the Colorado River
streams through the land, weathering and eroding
the walls to form the Grand Canyon.
Special Features
Some special landforms in the Grand Canyon are
the Colorado River and the Colorado Plateau.
The Colorado River
The Colorado River is constantly running around 242,000
square miles of land. It runs in the states of Wyoming,
Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.
The headwaters of the Colorado River are in Rocky Mountain
National Park in Colorado. There, the altitude is 9,010 feet.
The Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau is 130,000 square miles large. The
range in elevation from 5,000 to 11,000 feet high. Animals
and plants have adapted to the rock and harsh climatic
conditions.
When and why was it created?
When did it become a
national park?
It was created about 5-6 million years ago,
which is very young. Even though some rocks
found date back to around 250 million years
ago.
It was created because the Colorado River
eroded a large amount of rock that is now the
Grand Canyon. If we didn’t have the Colorado
River, we wouldn’t have this great national park,
called the Grand Canyon.
When did it become a national
park? (and why)
• The Grand Canyon became a national park in
1919. The park boundaries were set in 1975.
The Grand Canyon was named a World
Heritage Site in 1979 in recognition of the
world wide value of its exceptional natural
resources.
The Grand Canyon became a national park
because of the thick amount of many kinds of
ancient rocks that are preserved and exposed in
the most beautiful way inside the walls of the
Grand Canyon.
What type of rocks can be found?
There are seven different large layers of rock in
the Grand Canyon. The first layer is a layer with
Kaibab Limestone. This layer is around 250
million years old. It's made of sandy
limestone. The second layer is called the
Toroweap Formation. It is around 255 million
years old and is yellow and gray. The next layer
is made with Coconino Sandstone. It is about
260 million years old and has quartz sand, or
sand dunes. Next, is the Hermit Shale layer. It's
about 265 million years old and is made of soft
rock. The level after that is the Supai
Formation. It's average is about 285 million
years old. Next is Redwall Limestone. Then
Temple Butte Limestone, and lastly, the Tonto
Group. These are sedimentary rocks.
Rock
Pictures
Lots of
layers!
Rock Pictures
Sandstone
Limestone
Toroweap Formation
Redwall Limestone
Hermit Shale
Temple Butte Limestone
Supai Formation
Tonto Group
How Is Technology Used?
Industries are putting in better pollution control
because there is so much pollution in the air
coming from southern California, southern
Arizona and northern Mexico. The reason this
is important is because the pollution is getting
into the Grand Canyon. That is bad for the
animals who live there. It also could harm the
tourists. Also, The Grand Canyon has
pathways for people to walk on. Sweet
technology!!
How is the land in the park
currently changing?
The rocks are still slowly eroding and
weathering. The process of weathering is
when rocks get broken down into smaller
particles. Erosion is the process of the
weathered pieces being carried away. If it
rains, that water helps the Colorado River
erode. The Colorado River is the largest
source of erosion the Grand Canyon, though.
eroding, though.
Eroding
rocks
What environmental issues are
affecting your park?
The Grand Canyon is facing floods. Also, factories
in southern California, southern Arizona, and
northern Mexico are putting out so much
pollution. This is an issue because the pollution
is getting into the Grand Canyon. That is bad for
the animals who live there. It also could harm
the tourists.
Topographic Map of the Grand Canyon.
This is just part
of the Grand
Canyon.
Map of the Grand Canyon in the U.S.
The Grand Canyon!
Bibliography
Book
Cone, Patrick. Grand Canyon. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1994. Print.
Websites
Preserving the Park | Grand Canyon | Oh, Ranger!" Your Complete Guide to the
Parks | Oh, Ranger! Web. 01 June 2010. <http://www.ohranger.
com/grand-canyon/preserving-park>.
"The Geology of the Grand Canyon." Bob Ribokas - On-Line Photography Portfolio
(BobsPixels.com). Web. 01 June 2010.
<http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm>.
"Grand Canyon USGS Grand Canyon Quad, Arizona, Topographic Map."
Topographic Maps & Aerial Photos for United States & Canada. Web. 01 June 2010.
<http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.05444&lon=-112.13861>.
Picture
Colorado Plateau.
Photograph "Grand Canyon USGS Grand Canyon Quad, Arizona, Topographic
Map." Topographic Maps & Aerial Photos for United States & Canada. Web. 01 June
2010. <http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=36.05444&lon=-112.13861>.
Also, information from the Grand Canyon itself.
Pictures Websites!
Pictures!!!!!!!!