The Grand Canyon #3
by Aydin Gulec
Title
The Grand Canyon #3
Artist
Aydin Gulec
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
The Grand Canyon is a river valley in the Colorado Plateau that exposes uplifted Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata, and is also one of the six distinct physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau province. Even though it is not the deepest canyon in the world, the Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are well preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.
Uplift associated with mountain formation later moved these sediments thousands of feet upward and created the Colorado Plateau. The higher elevation has also resulted in greater precipitation in the Colorado River drainage area, but not enough to change the Grand Canyon area from being semi-arid. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau is uneven, and the Kaibab Plateau that the Grand Canyon bisects is over one thousand feet higher at the North Rim than at the South Rim. Almost all runoff from the North Rim, which also gets more rain and snow, flows toward the Grand Canyon, while much of the runoff on the plateau behind the South Rim flows away from the canyon. The result is deeper and longer tributary washes and canyons on the north side and shorter and steeper side canyons on the south side.
Temperatures on the North Rim are generally lower than those on the South Rim because of the greater elevation averaging 8,000 feet above sea level. Heavy rains are common on both rims during the summer months.
Uploaded
January 10th, 2022
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