A Baby in age, An astronomical monument
According to John Spencer of the Arizona Geological survey, a band of people dedicated to spreading the knowledge of the geology around to the people. "The Canyon itself is .25% of the age of the actual rocks' age. the Actual Canyon is only about 5 million years old". If the monument itself is so young compared to the rocks it holds, what created it? Well for that the answer lies at the bottom of the canyon.
The Colorado River
Image Sourcehttp://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/132/cache/rivers02-horseshoe-bend_13247_600x450.jpg:
Before we even Dwelve into the creation of the canyon we must first examine the brief story of its own creator, The Colorado River! Formed 80 million years ago, (The last time there was a sea in the area) the Colorado was left there along with huge mountains that resemble much like the Andean mountains. These mountains resided in the regions of modern day Las Vegas NV, Needles CA, and Kingman AZ and were formed by the two converging plate boundaries of the north American and Pacific plates.. The early Colorado River was rather small compared to its size now and was flowing in the opposite direction of what is it now which was Northeast. The Colorado River is suggested to might have been cutting through the rock 70 million years ago.
Tables Turning: The River Taking a Detour.
You might be asking how did the river change its course? well scientists have figured it out with very sophisticated tactics and technology. Eventually over this converging plate scenario, the mountains and plate was uplifted while the river stayed put but tectonic forces forced the river to flow in its modern direction eventually cutting into the rock that started the contours know as our wonderful grand canyon as it is today! Unfortunately, scientists are unable to figure out how the canyon go so wide. One thing is for certain, the Colorado river is truly the answer to how it formed, and the mystery to how it formed as well.
Click Here to watch how it has been formed.
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