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The
Grand canyon is exceptionally
deep, steep-walled canyon in northwestern Arizona,
excavated by the Colorado
River. The Grand Canyon is 446 km (277 mi) long, up to 29 km (18 mi) wide,
and more than 1500 m (5000 ft) deep. The entire canyon is extremely beautiful,
containing towering buttes, mesas, and valleys within its main gorge. A
spectacular section of the canyon, together with plateau areas on either side of
it, are preserved as the Grand
Canyon National Park, which receives about four million visitors a year. The
Grand Canyon has been sculpted in general by the downward cutting of the
Colorado River, which flows through the canyon's lowest portions. Other factors
have also played a part. The Kaibab Plateau, which forms the northern rim of the
canyon, is about 365 m (about 1200 ft) higher than the Coconino Plateau, which
forms the southern rim. Water from the northern side has flowed into the canyon,
forming tributary valleys, while the streams of the southern plateau flow away
in a southerly direction without carving valleys in the canyon walls. The
underlying rock beds also have a southwestern slant, with the result that
groundwater from the north finds its way into the canyon, but water from the
south does not. In the entire canyon region, the rocks have been broken by
jointing and faulting, and fractures in the rocks resulting from these processes
have contributed to the rapid erosion of the gorge.
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