Interesting Facts About The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is not named as one of the Seven Wonders of the World for no apparent reason. There has never been a photograph of the canyon able to give justice to its grandeur. Interesting facts about the Grand Canyon await every visitor's discovery in its entire 277-mile length.

The Grand Canyon national park essentially covers the north and south rims. An interesting fact about the grand canyon is that it has a third rim, the West, home of the Hualapai Indian Tribe that own one million acres of reservation in the northwestern region of Arizona. The north rim is elevated by 300 feet, which compounded with gravitational forces intensifies the erosion power of the Colorado River. Millions of years ago, the grand canyon belonged to the vast Colorado Plateau region but continental drift and erosion sculpted it to how it looks today – quite interesting facts about the grand canyon.

President Benjamin Harrison was responsible for enacting a law declaring the north to south rim a forest reserve in 1893. This is also to protect the natural habitat and wildlife that seek refuge within the gorges. Today, the grand canyon wildlife includes 75 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles (includes amphibians), 25 species of fish, and more than 300 species of birds. The vastness of the canyon caused a specie of squirrel to separate and evolve into two distinct species: the Kaibab and Albert squirrel came from one ancestor, the tassel-eared squirrel.

There is no other place earth able to reveal so vividly the different geologic times as the Grand Canyon. The different rock strata on the Grand Canyon represent the Paleozoic and Proterozoic eras. The topmost layer is the infamous Kaibab Limestone, which suggests a primordial shallow marine environment. Fossilized reptile tracks as well as marine vertebrates and invertebrates can be traced here as well as the rest of the layer. The upper formation consists of the Kaibab limestone, Toroweap formation, Coconino Sandstone and Hermit formation. Near the bottom to the Colorado River is the Supai Group composed of older primordial rocks with sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic origins.

When speaking of interesting facts about the Grand Canyon, people commonly refer to the south rim – the busiest spot on the canyon, which features shops, hotels, and restaurants. To learn interesting facts about the Grand Canyon is to experience the whole adventure of hiking into the deepest gorge, passing along the different rock layers and spotting numerous species of fauna along the way.