The Grand Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona is considered the world’s best example of exposed geologic layering, and contains fossils ranging from Precambrian stromatolites to Ice Age. There is also a potentially active volcano on the western end of the Grand Canyon. Erosion has uncovered 1.7 billion years of geologic history.
When John Wesley Powell conducted his first expedition through the Grand Canyon in 1869, he and his team barely survived the arid desert conditions. Despite their beleaguered situation, Powell recognized the “great antiquity of the earth” in the landscape of the Grand Canyon, and determined to return under more opportune conditions. While the names Powell gave to geologic formations did not always accurately
The site visited on this day was informally known as the Bedrock Knob (NTS grid reference: 120 342). It is in an area where patches of limestone and exposed bedrock are common. The bedrock is part of the Preca...
Many people know ‘Lake’ Powell as a fact of life. Since its creation in 1963, the reservoir, known as Lake Powell, is just there. Few people that are alive today have had the opportunity to see the true beauty of Glen Canyon, which rivals the Grand Canyon. Glen Canyon, equivalent to one hundred eighty river miles with dozens of side canyons, was flooded for the purpose of power and water resources. ‘Lake’ Powell also generates an enormous cash flow due to the tourism it receives. Although the ‘lake’ has a few reasons to remain in existence, there are many more reasons to drain it.
Most of Arizona’s earthquakes are associated with the San Andreas fault as most of Arizona’s earthquakes are shocks from epicenters located in California. Arizona has had earthquakes with epicenters located in its borders and just like the ones located near the San Andreas fault, they are linked to a transform plate boundary and are dip-slip earthquakes. Much of the focus of these earthquakes can be centered around the Grand Canyon as much of the after-effects of these earthquakes caused phenomenons to occur in the Grand Canyon. Many rockslides took place in the Grand Canyon and plenty of the cracks found in the canyon’s rock layers are attributed to some of the earthquakes that took place in Arizona since the geologic landscape formed its current
The Mystery of Chaco Canyon introduces viewers to a very complex structure that was built by Ancient Pueblo Indians. Although there is no language to explain the structure’s meaning and purpose, researchers were able to read their architecture as a language. Four themes that were extracted from the structure were, the native’s immense understanding of astronomy, the use for the structure, the level of spirituality that the structure represents, and migration from Chaco Canyon.
Tarbuck E., Lutgens F., Tasa D., 2014, An Introduction to Physical Geology, 5th Ed, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark took the risk of life, limb, and liberty to bring back the precious and valuable information of the Pacific Northwest of the United States territory. Their accomplishments of surviving the trek and delivering the data to the U.S. government, have altered the course of history, but have some Historian’s and author’s stating, “It produced nothing useful.”, and having “added little to the stock of science and wealth. Lewis and Clark’s expedition is one of the most famous and most unknown adventures of America’s frontier.
Robbins, Jim. Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in Yellowstone and the American West. New York: Morrow, 1993. Print.
In 1753, the future first president of the United States, George Washington, was dispatched to Western Pennsylvania to deliver a message to the French soldiers stationed near Presque Isle. Only twenty-one years old, young Washington traveled north from Fort Duquesne through modern day Butler County. Although aware of the critical and dangerous nature of the mission, it is unlikely that that the young explorer was aware that he was traversing a land of physical features shaped by a 100,000 years of geological history (WTA, 2013).
When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first explored Montana in the early 1800s, they were awestruck by the open plains and delighted by the wide range of animals that roamed the land. After reaching the Great Falls, which is on the Missouri River in what is now Montana (Av2 books). Lewis wrote in his journal that it was “the grandest sight” that he had “ever beheld.” Today much of the landscape the Lewis and Clark crossed remains unchanged. The dense forest, rugged mountains, and rushing rivers are still abundant with fish and other wildlife.
Zig-zag, back and forth, down, down, down, Jonathon, Dad, and I went into a mysterious new world. Now that I have gone into this hot, dry canyon surrounded by monstrous hoodoos, I have seen what it is really like to leave the small town of Seymour, and emerge into the greatness of this world. I have now seen several other National Parks on one of the most renowned places on earth for mysterious creations, the Colorado Plateau. Of all the beautiful places on it, even the Grand Canyon, I have found my favorite one. Bryce Canyon National Park. I thought it was amazing, because it was the most diverse to anything I have ever seen before. We hiked down into it and I felt like I was surrounded by skyscrapers. We trekked around a little, but we didn’t
Everyone’s experience is not all the same similarly to the Grand Canyon situation that is mentioned by Percy. The individual needs to be taken into consideration. Like with me, I went to many tourists spots, such as the Valley of Ten Peaks, that are talked among many people that and have been influenced by the media, but when I got their I was left speechless by the sight of the of the Peaks. This experience is a counter point Percy’s idea, that prejudges of situations can skew the perspective of people. Percy states “[a tourist] Does not one see the same sight from the Bright Angel Lodge that Cardenas saw” (Percy 464). This quote explains how people cannot see the true beauty of a sight with these expectations that block it for us. Most of the time I have had my expectations of a sight given to me by media or other people lessen my experiences in life. This occurs because how much someone is willing to let so...
Our inquisitive America, extensively interested in science, geography, history, and art, had an enormous discovery sitting in its backyard. The Corps of Discovery – installed with dangerous travel, difficult interactions, and golden opportunities – was America’s greatest expedition, led by the famous Meriwether Lewis and his chosen partner, William Clark.
The geology, its history, and the presence of past civilizations contribute to much of the significance of Mesa Verde National Park. The interconnectedness of these aspects should also be noted. If not for the weathering processes and changes in sea level this formation would not exist. Without it, the ancient people would not have been able to reside within Mesa Verde. This National Park now serves as a tool to help conserve the remains of these past civilizations as well as to help educate today’s society on the significance behind this astonishing geologic
Rising from the Plains by John McPhee is about an influential geologist, John David Love, interpreting the geologic history of Wyoming. The surface area of Wyoming has been subjected to many geological formations from the rise of the Rocky Mountains through the Laramide Orogeny in late Cretaceous time to the deep structural basin known as the Jackson Hole with rock dating back to the Precambrian period. Throughout each time period of the Earth’s history, the surface of Wyoming has experienced significant changes that have affected the physical landscape, as well as living organisms, even to this day. In this story John David Love shares his knowledge of the geologic history of Wyoming with John McPhee as they travel across Wyoming taking in the vastness that the landscape of Wyoming presents.
Karam, P. Andrew. "American Far West: The Lewis and Clark Expedition." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 9-12. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.