Geology and Nature of the Grand Canyon
Was Noah here? A creationist, in general terms, is someone who believes in an absolute creator of heaven and earth. Creationists believe the Bible as a literal account of events. So how would a creationist explain a phenomenon such as the Grand Canyon? In Genesis, the story of Noah tells of a global flood about 4,500 years ago; it's this flood that creationists believe formed the Grand Canyon. Their conclusion is based on scripture and eight points of evidence, including but not limited to: the layering of the rock, the ways the rock bends (rather than cracks) and the types of fossils in the rock [source: Canyon Ministries]. |
Geologists theorize that for millions of years, the flow of the Colorado River eroded rock in the Colorado Plateau. This slow erosion, combined with heat and uplift, created a canyon. The age of the canyon itself is a bit tricky to pin down. But the rocks that make up the canyon's stripes are extremely old -- the oldest dating back nearly 2,000 million years. But because the canyon was created through the process of erosion, its age isn't the same as its oldest rocks. Erosion has simply exposed the canyon's oldest rocks. Geologists estimate the canyon itself is about 5 to 6 million years old [source: National Park Service].
Alternatively, an early Grand Canyon guide by the name of John Hance was known to jokingly claim the canyon as his own work: "It was hard work, took a long time, but I dug it myself, with a pick and a shovel. If you want to know what I done with the dirt, just look south through a clearin' in the trees at what they call the San Francisco Peaks" [source: National Park Service].
What Hance would have found had he dug the canyon, and what we're all able to see now, are the various rock strata (layers) including shale-siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, dolomite, and igneous and metamorphic rock.
Christer Fredriksson/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images
A winter morning at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
In that array of rock, several geologic periods can be seen, the oldest dating back to the Precambrian period [source: Scenic.com]. There are 94 types of rock (and minerals, mostly iron, that cause bright colors), as well as caves and steep-walled canyons, and a sizable fossil record (including petrified forests, lungfish, nautiloids and dinosaurs) [source: National Pak Service].
Tall Trees Engelmann Spruce, a favorite choice for Christmas trees, thrives at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and has been known to grow up to 100 feet (30.48 m) tall. |
Today, the park holds a diverse set of plant and animal life. There are more than 1,500 plant species (including wildflowers and cactus) plus 355 bird species (including the endangered California condor), 89 mammalian species (including the native Bighorn sheep), 47 reptile species (including the Gila monster), nine amphibian species, and 17 fish species found in the park. More than 35 animal species are endangered or of special concern [source: National Park Service].
Next we'll walk through the history of the Grand Canyon, and study its archaeological record as well as its modern day role as a national park.
