Geology of the
Grand Canyon
Areas of Learning
• How was the Grand Canyon Created
• Geology and Climates of the area
• References
Burgers, Dogs, & Pizza, Oh My!. (2015). Retrieved from
http://burgersdogspizza.com/2013/01/grand-canyon-huh/
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Forming the Grand Canyon
•
Around the time of the late Proterozoic era over
13000 feet of lave and other materials were
deposited into coastal marine environments.
•
Millions of years ago mountain building caused
and upheaval that lifted and tilted rocks in this
area. According to "National Park
Service" (2015), Subsequent erosion removed
these tilted layers from most areas leaving only
the wedge-shaped remnants seen in the eastern
• The
Grand Canyon was created in the Cenozoic
Canyon”.
era. Vigorous erosion by the snow pack fed
Colorado River helped carve the Canyon’s
depth as we know it to this day.
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American Travel Center. (2015). Retrieved from http://
americandrivingvacations.com/regions/southwest/arizona/
Geology of the area
There are many types of Rocks and Minerals found
in the Grand Canyon. Here are some examples of
these Rocks and Minerals
Rocks
• Quartz
• Calcite
• Clay
• Gypsum
• Dolomite
• Hematite
• Feldspar
• Augite
• Biotite
Minerals
• Copper
• Silver
• Uranium
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The canyon.com. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.thecanyon.com/
Climate of the area then
Climate during the inception of the Grand
canyon would have been hot and really
unbearable and a lot different then what we
to this day see.
When the canyon was formed snow would
melt from the higher altitudes on ice caps,
this in turn helped carve the canyon that we
see to this day.
Foundation21. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.f21.org.au/grandcanyonchallenge
/
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Climate of the area now
This area is generally dry, but...