You are about to take a journey, a journey to a billion years ago, a journey to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
There are not many types of animals in the Grand Canyon, but there are 3,000 different types of birds.There is the Kaibab squirrel and Abert squirrel which live on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon. Their ancestors were the same. The other types of animals are the coyotes, deer, mules, and ravens.
In 1540 the Grand Canyon was found by the Spanish from Mexico.Three hundred, seventeen years later the Americans first found the Grand Canyon.Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903 and was impressed. In 1903 the Grand Canyon became a national monument.In 1919 it was upgraded and became a national park. In 1979 the Grand Canyon became a world heritage center. Today the Grand Canyon gets more than a million visitors a year.
Was Formed
The Grand Canyon was formed by erosion from the Colorado River. There are 250,000 year old rocks in the Grand Canyon. Up at the top there are two billion year old rocks.The Colorado River starts in Colorado and ends in the Gulf of California in New Mexico.The Colorado River is about 1,904 square miles.The Colorado River widens every year.
When the Grand Canyon was formed many layers of rock were exposed to sunlight. The top layer is limestone, called the Kaibab limestone. The next is sandstone, named the Coconino sandstone and then there's a layer of soft shale rock known as the Hermit shale. Yet another layer underneath is the Supai formation. Next is another layer of limestone, called the Redwall limestone. The rock is actually red from seepage from the Supai formation above. A layer of sandstone, the Temple Butte, beneath the Redwall proves to be 345-395 million years old!!! Below are the rock layers brown Muav limestone, the green Bright Angel shale, and Tapeats limestone. Below these are the most ancient rocks of all, the bottom layer of the Grand Canyon. These rocks are Precambrian schists and Genisses, from a half a billion to a billion years old!!!!!
The Grand Canyon is a very special landmark. It should be preserved for millions of years, so many people can see it. The Grand Canyon is a true wonder we will always admire.