Essay On Grand Canyon Formation

This article published on Geology. com describes the recent evidence that dates the formation of the

Grand Canyon to 70 million years ago. This theory, that the uplift from under the ocean formed a river that would later become known as the Colorado river, is a totally new theory compared to the previous one that the formation of the canyon to 6 million years ago. The theory that the Grand Canyon is only 6 million years old is supported by depositional sand in the Muddy Creek Formation. The problem with this theory is that in reality, the age of the Muddy Creek is the age of the river, not the canyon. Geologists have just assumed that the canyon is also this old. It is possible that older rivers formed the canyon and they are now gone due to

John

Powell's expedition and survey of the canyon in 1869 helped him to become the head of the USGS and then the head of the Smithsonian's Bureau of Enthology. His early studies on water drainage formed the basis for some of the water laws and canals that exist today. When the canyon was made a Nation Park in 1919, it infuriated many ranchers and miners because they could no longer use it to ranch or mine in.

Ralph Cameron built the Bright Angel Trail and charged one dollar per person to use it. After a major lawsuit, the Forest Service was forced to build the South Kaibab Trail to pass his property. N the 60's, the park was the central gathering point for the Sierra Club, who was looking to slow the progress of the

Bridge Canyon dam. This act helped pave the way for many more environmentalist rebellions throughout the 60's and 70's. The canyon is also an argument point in the everlasting battle between creationists and evolutionists. Creationists say that the canyon was formed during the Great Flood of the Old

Testament. All in all, the canyon has political, societal, and scientific importance. The southwest would not be the same without it.

How Geologists Study the Grand