Natural Wonders
THE GRAND CANYON
The
Grand Canyon is a steep sided gorge in the USA carved out by the Colorado River.
It is largly con tained by the Grand Canyon National Park.
(This
was one of the first parks in the USA) It is an aspect of nature and is an
example of conservation over a large area. The water of the Colorado River is as
clear as ice yet the river has some of the worst rapids imaginable. The scenery
is as greener than grass and on a clear day you can see from the north rim to
the south rim etc.
The
Grand Canyon was formed nearly 2 Billion years ago by the earths Geological
forces. The canyon is 277 miles long (446 km) and ranges widths
of 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km). It holds a depth of over a mile deep (1.83 km).
The canyon began in the West followed by a different canyon that formed in the East. Eventually, the two
broke through and met as a single majestic rent. This apparently happened at a
point Known as the Kaibab Arch.
Facts
File …..
1
The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a Holy Site and made pilgrimages to it.
2
The
weather conditions during the ice ages also increased the amount of water in the
Colorado River. (Though now the river is losing water by the Gallon and some
serious water conservation is needed).
3
About
1 million years ago volcanic activity deposited ash and lava over the district,
which at times utterly obstructed the river. These volcanic rocks are the
youngest in the area.
4
There
are several ancient buildings that can be located on the south rim. Most of
these buildings belong to the Grand Canyon Village.
5
The
weather on the north rim is totally different to the weather on the south rim.
The north rims temperatures are usually cooler to the temperature of the south
rim (usually)
6
Some
of the ancient artifacts in the Grand Canyon are over 2 Billion years old but
some are only (roughly) 230 million years old.
7
The
terraced walls of the Grand Canyon are due to all of the many different types of
erosions that the Grand Canyon has experienced.
The
Grand Canyon is leading the way in USA for Ecotourism. It attracts
roughly 5 million visitors a year. Aside
from the casual sight seeing the Grand Canyon provides numerous activities. They
have the following activities: White
water rafting,Hiking
and Running, Tour
on Mule back, Tours
on boats/rafts
Helicopter rides and tours, Camping/Caravanning. All in all the Grand Canyon is a lovely place to spend a luxurious holiday at so now that you have the information go on and experience a wonder of the world.
PARACUTIN VOLCANO
An erupting volcano is a powerful force: thick clouds of ash filling the sky, hot rocks hurling through the air, lava covering everything in its path. The mysteries of such an explosion, coming from the depths of the earth, tantalize scientists and non-scientists alike: which is precisely what makes Paracutin a natural wonder. Paracutin exploded out of a Mexican cornfield about 322 kilometers west of Mexico City in early 1934, giving the modern world its first opportunity to witness the birth of a volcano. Within a year, the volcano’s cinder cone added 335 meters. Within 2 years, its slow moving lava flows buried most of the town of Paracutin and partially buried its neighbour, San Juan Parangricutiro.
The lava eventually covered about 25 square kilometers. By the time the eruption ended in a blaze of violent activity in 1952, Paracutin’s cinder cone added another 88 meters.
Miraculously,
the lava and ash caused no fatalities although 3 people died from lightening
associated with the eruption. But the young volcano changed forever the lives of
the villagers who lived their.
VICTORIAL FALLS
The Zambezi Rivers gentle roll through Africa is interrupted abruptly and spectacularly when the flat basalt basin that forms the rivers bed suddenly gives way, dropping the placid river over a cliff into a 100 meter deep gash between The Victoria Falls and a matching cliff across the way.
The now churning waters: 2 kilometers wide at the point of the falls: rumble and roar and tumble through a narrow exit into the Batoka Gorge on its way to the Mozambique Channel off eastern Africa. Scottish missionary David Livingstone tagged the awesome falls Victoria, for the British queen, when, in 1855, he became the first white man to see them. But native Africans had known their power: and the towering spray rising a thousand feet in the sky over the Zambezi plain: for ages. They called the falls ‘’Mosi oa Tunya’’ (The Smoke that Thunders)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co7fmPKZsBE
