Читать книгу One Best Hike: Grand Canyon. Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Hike from the Rim to the River—and Back онлайн

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GEOLOGY

Quite simply, the Grand Canyon is unbelievable because of its geologic features. As you stand at a vista point and peer into and across the canyon, you are marveling at the geology: staring at the exceptionally wide and deep canyon and the nearly horizontal layers of colorful rock. Generations of talented geologists have sought to understand what combination of geologic events created this landscape. Individuals with different geologic specialties have contemplated different aspects of the picture, weaving together their conclusions with the data collected by others to present a coherent story of the Grand Canyon’s geologic history. However, the sleuthing continues—evidence to decipher some pieces of the story is simply missing. The story of the Grand Canyon presented today, in this book and at vistas throughout the park, may stand the test of time or may be quite different if you revisit the park in a generation.

Questions will probably leap to mind as you gaze at the canyon. You may wonder why such a deep canyon exists and how it formed. Or you may contemplate why there are so many different layers or rock, how they got there, and why some are flat, but others steep?