THE GRAND CANYON
THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is
one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it’s not hard to
see why. The Grand Canyon is approximately one mile deep, 277 miles
long, and ranges in width from half a mile wide at the point where
it is the narrowest to eighteen miles wide at its widest point. It’s
a common belief that the Grand Canyon was once part of a mountain
range that was larger than the Himalayas. It has never really been
known or confirmed how this awesome part of nature has formed but it
was most likely the erosion caused by the Colorado River, starting
about 1.7 billion years ago. The Canyon is thought to be divided
into layers because as the river rises and falls, it layers against
the rock that stay there for all time.
The Grand Canyon climate is very
unpredictable. While it’s snowing at the uppermost part of the
canyon, it could be as high as eighty degrees Fahrenheit at the
bottom. Once it rains and water seeps into the cracks of the rock,
it expands and causes the rocks to split, crack, and break and this
is why there are many landslides within the canyon. The rocks from
the landslides then fall into the river and are carried out into the
ocean.
However, even with the unpredictable
weather, there is much plant life within the Grand Canyon. Among
those are the agave plant, sage brush, golden columbine, ponderosa
pine, pinyon pine, gambel oak, cliff rose, fern brush, mountain
mahogany, hedgehog cactus, and Utah juniper. Although the climate is
too harsh and holds such varying degrees, most plants would not be
able to survive life in the Grand Canyon. However, these plants have
adapted to life in the canyon.
Many animals also call the Grand Canyon
their home. In fact, there are a total of sixty-seven different
mammals alone in the Grand Canyon. These include bighorn sheep,
bobcats, mule deer, albert squirrels, coyotes, and mountain lions.
There are also many rock squirrels that have become adapted to the
many forms of human life constantly coming to visit the Canyon and
they now feel comfortable enough to beg for food, although feeding
any of the wildlife is illegal. Because the Colorado River is also
set within the Grand Canyon, there are also many different types of
fish in the river. Besides mammals and fish, there are also many
reptiles and amphibians, including twenty-four different species of
snakes.
The Grand Canyon is in Arizona and
offers visitors a truly spectacular site! There are many options
when visiting the Grand Canyon including touring by bus, airplane,
helicopter, and train. You can also choose an overnight visit or a
day-trip and choose which side of the Canyon you most want to see!
The Grand Canyon
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