Grand Canyon (Hopi: Ongtupqa ; Yavapai: Wi: ka'i: la , Navajo: TsÃÆ' Â © kooh Hatsoh , Spain: Gran CaÃÆ' Â ± ÃÆ'³n ) is a steep cliff carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, USA. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and reaches depths over one mile (6,083 feet or 1,857 meters).
The canyons and adjacent edges are inside Grand Canyon National Park, Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Indian Hualapai Reservation, Indian Havasupai Reservation and Navajo Nations. President Theodore Roosevelt is a major supporter of the Grand Canyon area preservation, and visits him on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been revealed when the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channel through layer upon layer of rock while the Colorado Highlands were lifted. While some aspects of the canyon's history are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River built its path about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since then, the Colorado River has encouraged the felling of streams and retreats, simultaneously deepening and expanding the canyon.
For thousands of years, the area has been inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements in canyons and many caves. Pueblo people regard the Grand Canyon as a holy place, and make a pilgrimage to it. The first European person known to have seen the Grand Canyon was GarcÃÆ'a LÃÆ'³pez de CÃÆ'¡rdenas of Spain, which arrived in 1540.
Video Grand Canyon
Geography Edit
The Grand Canyon is a river valley in the Colorado Highlands that shows the elevated layers of Proterozoic and Paleozoic, and is also one of six different physiographic sections in the Colorado Highlands province. This is not the deepest canyon in the world (Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal is much deeper). However, the Grand Canyon is known for its incredible visual size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, this is important because of the order of thick, ancient rocks that are well preserved and exposed on the canyon walls. This rock layer records much of the early geological history of the continent of North America.
Increases associated with mountain formations then move these sediments thousands of feet upward and create the Colorado Plateau. The higher altitude also resulted in greater rainfall in the Colorado River drainage area, but not enough to turn the Grand Canyon area into semi-arid. The Colorado Plateau elevation is uneven, and the Kaibab Highlands grouped by the Grand Canyon are over a thousand feet (300 m) taller in the North Circle (about 1,000 feet or 300 m) than in the Southern Ring. Almost all runoff from the North Rim (which also gets more rain and snow) flows into the Grand Canyon, while much of the runoff on the plateau behind South Rim flows away from the canyon (following the general slope). The result is a torn and deeper riverbed and canyon on the north side and shorter and steeper on the south side.
The temperatures in North Rim are generally lower than in the South Rim due to larger elevations (an average of 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters above sea level). Heavy rains often occur on both rims during the summer. Access to North Rim via the main route to the canyon (State Route 67) is limited during winter due to road closures.
Maps Grand Canyon
Geology Edit
The Grand Canyon is part of the Colorado River valley that has evolved over the past 70 million years, partly based on the apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry which shows that the Grand Canyon reaches a depth close to the modern depth of 20 Ma. A recent study examining the caves near the Grand Canyon puts their origin started about 17 million years ago. Previous estimates have placed the age of the canyon at 5-6 million years. The study, published in the journal Science in 2008, uses uranium-lead dating to analyze the calcite deposits found on the walls of nine caves across the canyon. There is a great deal of controversy because this research shows a substantial departure from the previously supported scientific consensus. In December 2012, a study published in the journal Science claimed a new test had suggested the Grand Canyon could be as old as 70 million years old. However, this study has been criticized by those who support the "young canyon" of about six million years as "[an] attempt to push the interpretation of their new data to their limits without considering all other sets of geological data sets."
The canyon is the result of erosion that exposes one of the most complete geological columns on the planet.
The main geological exposure in the Grand Canyon ranges from 2 billion years of Vishnu Schist at the bottom of the Inner Gorge to the 230 million-year-old Kaibab Limestone in the Rim. There is a gap of about a billion years between the 500 million-year-old strata and the lower levels, estimated at about 1.5 billion years ago. This large unconformity indicates a long period of no sediment.
Many of the formations are kept in warm shallow seas, near-shore environments (such as beaches), and swamps when the beach repeatedly advances and retreats over the proto-North America edge. Major exceptions include Permian Coconino Sandstone, which contains abundant geological evidence of aeolia sand deposits. Some parts of Supai Group are also stored in non-marine environments.
The deep depths of the Grand Canyon and particularly the height of its strata (which mostly form below sea level) can be attributed to 5-10 thousand feet (1,500 to 3,000m) of Colorado Colorado elevations, started about 65 million years ago (during Laramide Orogeny). This increase has clouded the river gradient of the Colorado River and its tributaries, which in turn has increased their speed and hence their ability to cut stones (see summary of the Colorado River elevation for current conditions).
Weather conditions during the ice age also increased the amount of water in the Colorado River drainage system. The ancestral Colorado River responded by cutting its channel faster and deeper.
The baseline and lane of the Colorado River (or its ancestral equivalent) changed 5.3 million years ago when the Gulf of California opened and lowered the baseline level (its lowest point). This increases the rate of erosion and trims almost all of the depths of the Grand Canyon at this time 1.2 million years ago. The walls of the canyon terraces are made by differential erosion.
Between 100,000 and 3 million years ago, volcanic activity deposited ash and lava into areas that sometimes blocked the river. This volcanic rock is the youngest in the canyon.
History Edit
Native Americans Edit
The Ancestral Puebloans is a Native American culture centered in the Four Corners region of the United States today. They were the first people known to live in the Grand Canyon area. Cultural groups are often referred to in archeology as Anasazi, although this term is not favored by modern Puebloan societies. The word "Anasazi" is Navajo for "Ancient Ones" or "Ancient Enemy".
Archaeologists are still debating when this different culture emerges. The current consensus, based on the terminology defined by the Pecos Classification, shows their appearance around 1200Ã, BCE during the Basketmaker Era II. Beginning with the earliest explorations and excavations, the researchers believe that Ancient Puebloans are the ancestors of the modern Pueblo community.
In addition to the Puebloans Ancestors, a number of different cultures have inhabited the Grand Canyon area. The Cohonina live west of the Grand Canyon, between 500 and 1200Ã, CE . The Cohonina are the ancestors of Yuman, Havasupai, and the Hualapai people who inhabit the area today.
The Sinagua is a cultural group that occupies the area to the southeast of the Grand Canyon, between Little Colorado River and Salt River, between about 500 and 1425 CE . Sinagua may be the ancestor of some of the Hopi clans.
At the time of the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century , new cultures have evolved. The Hualapai inhabit 100 miles (160 km) stretch along the southern side of Pine-clad of the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai family has lived in an area near Cataract Canyon since the early 13th century, spanning an area of ​​Delaware. The Southern Paiutes live in what is now southern Utah and northern Arizona. The Navajo, or DinÃÆ'Â ©, lives in a vast area stretching from San Francisco Peaks to the east toward the Four Corners. Archaeological and linguistic evidence shows the Navajo descended from the Athabaskan people near Great Slave Lake, Canada, who migrated after the 11th century .
European arrivals and settlements Edit
Spanish explorer Edit
In September 1540, under orders from the conquistador Francisco VÃÆ'¡zquez de Coronado to search for the Seven Cities in Cibola, Captain GarcÃÆ'a LÃÆ'³pez de CÃÆ'¡rdenas, along with a Hopi guide and a small group of Spanish soldiers, traveled to the south bank. Grand Canyon between Desert View and Moran Point. Pablo de Melgrossa, Juan Galeras, and a third soldier descended about a third of the way into the canyon until they were forced back due to lack of water. In their report, they noted that some of the rocks in the canyon are "larger than the great towers of Seville, Giralda." It is thought that their Hopi guides may know the route to the canyon floor, but may be reluctant to lead Spain to the river. No Europeans have visited the canyon again for more than two hundred years.
Francisco Atanasio DomÃÆ'nguez's father and Silvestre VÃ © lez de Escalante were two Spanish priests who, with a group of Spanish soldiers, explored southern Utah and traveled along the northern edge of the canyons in Glen and Marble Canyon looking for routes from Santa Fe to California in 1776. They finally found an intersection, formerly known as "Crossing of the Fathers," which is today located under Lake Powell.
Also in 1776, Fray Francisco Garces, a Franciscan missionary, spent a week near Havasupai, failing to try to convert a group of Native Americans into Christianity. He described the canyon as "deep".
American Exploration Edit
James Ohio Pattie, along with a group of American trappers and mountain people, was probably the next European to reach the canyon, in 1826.
Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon missionary, was sent by Brigham Young in the 1850s to search for suitable river crossing locations in the canyon. Building rapport with local Hualapai and white settlers, he found Crossing of the Fathers, and what locations would become Lees Ferry in 1858 and Pearce Ferry (later operated by, and named, Harrison Pearce) - only the last two sites were suited for crossing operation. He also acted as adviser to John Wesley Powell before his second expedition to the Grand Canyon, serving as a diplomat between Powell and the local tribe to ensure the safety of his party.
In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale was the expedition's supervisor to survey the 35th-35th parallel cart from Fort Defiance, Arizona to the Colorado River. He leads a small group of men to search for water in the Coconino Plateau near the southern edge of the canyon. On September 19, near the current National Canyon, they discovered what May Humphreys Stacey called his journal "... a gorgeous gorge with a depth of four thousand feet.Everyone (at the party) admits that he has never seen anything match or match this curious natural curiosity. "
Also in 1857, the US Department of War asked Lieutenant Joseph Ives to lead an expedition to assess the feasibility of up-river navigation from the Gulf of California. Also at the steering wheel of the Explorer, after two months and 350 miles (560 km) of difficult navigation, his entourage reached the Black Canyon about two months after George Johnson. The Explorer crashed into a rock and abandoned it. Ives led his entourage eastward to the valley - they were probably the first Europeans to travel the dragons of Diamond Creek and traveled east along the south bank. In a report "Colorado River in the West" to the Senate in 1861 he stated that "One or two trapors claim to have seen the canyon."
According to the San Francisco Herald, in a series of articles that took place in 1853, Captain Joseph R. Walker in January 1851 with his nephew James T. Walker and six, traveled to the Colorado River to the point where he join the Virgin River and continue east to Arizona, traveling along the Grand Canyon and making short side exploration trips along the way. Walker reportedly said he wanted to visit the Moqui Indians, because Hopi was then called by a white man. He had met these people briefly in previous years, thought they were very interesting and wanted to become more intimate. The Herald reporter later stated, "We believe Captain Joe Walker is the only white person in this country who has ever visited these freaks."
In 1858, John Strong Newberry became the first geologist to visit the Grand Canyon.
In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell led the first expedition down the canyon. Powell set out to explore the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Gathering nine men, four boats and food for 10 months, he left from Green River, Wyoming on May 24th. Passing (or photographing around) a series of dangerous rapids, the group passed the Green River to its encounter with the Colorado River, near Moab, Utah today and completed the journey with many difficulties through the Grand Canyon on August 13, 1869. In 1871 Powell first used the term " Grand Canyon "; previously it was called "Big Canyon".
In 1889, Frank M. Brown wanted to build a railroad along the Colorado River to bring coal. He, his principal engineer Robert Brewster Stanton, and 14 others began exploring the Grand Canyon in a poorly designed cedar boat, devoid of life protector. Brown was drowned in an accident near Marble Canyon: Stanton made a new ship and began exploring Colorado all the way to the Gulf of California.
The Grand Canyon became an official national monument in 1908 and a national park in 1919.
Settlers in and near the canyon Edit
- Miners: "Captain" John Hance, William W. Bass, Louis Boucher "The Hermit", Seth Tanner, Charles Spencer, D. W. "James" Mooney
- Lees Ferry: John Doyle Lee, Emma Lee French (17 of 19 John Lee's wives), J. S. Emmett, Charles Spencer
- Ghost Farm: David Rust, Mary Colter
- The Grand Canyon Village: Ralph H. Cameron, Emery & amp; Ellsworth Kolb
Federal Protection: National Monuments and Parks Edit
US President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. A determined traveler and conservationist, Roosevelt founded the Grand Canyon Nature Reserve on November 28, 1906. The herds of cattle were reduced, but predators like mountain lions, hawks, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt along with other members of the conservation group, Boone and Crockett Club helped form the National Parks Association, which in turn lobbied for the Antiquities Act of 1906 which gave Roosevelt the power to create a national monument. Once the action was passed, Roosevelt immediately added adjacent national forest land and redesigned the preservation of the US National Monument on January 11, 1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked attempts to reclassify the monument as a US National Park for 11 years. The Grand Canyon National Park was finally designated as the 17th US National Park by a Congress Act signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.
Federal government administrators who manage park resources face many challenges. These include issues related to recent reintroduction into the wild from the critically endangered California condor, overflight noise level airborne, water rights dispute with tribal reservation bordering parks, and forest fire management. Federal officials started flooding the Grand Canyon in hopes of restoring the ecosystem on 5 March 2008. The canyon ecosystem was permanently changed after the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.
Between 2003 and 2011, 2,215 mining claims have been requested adjacent to the canyon, including claims for uranium mines. Mining has been halted since 2009, when US Interior Minister Ken Salazar withdrew 1 million hectares (4,000 km 2 ) from the licensing process, awaiting assessment of the environmental impact of the mine. Critics of the mine fear that, once mined, uranium will seep into the Colorado River water and contaminate water supplies to up to 18 million people. Salazar called "Northern Arizona Withdrawal" is a 20-year moratorium on a new mine, but allows existing mines to continue. In 2012, the federal government halts a new mine in the area, which is upheld by the US District Court for Arizona in 2014, but filed by the National Mining Association, which joins the state of Arizona under Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Utah, Montana and Nevada. National Mining Association v. Jewell is waiting before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal as of September 2015.
South Rim Building Edit
There are several historic buildings located along the South Rim with most around the Grand Canyon Village.
- Buckey O'Neill Cabin was built in the 1890s by William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill. He built the cabin because of the copper deposits that are nearby. He has several jobs such as miners, judges, politicians, writers and tour guides. This cabin is the longest standing structure in South Rim. Currently used as a guest house; reservations needed long before.
- Kolb Studio was built in 1904 by the Ellsworth brothers and Emery Kolb. They are photographers who make a living by photographing visitors walking along the Bright Angel Trail. In 1911, Kolb's brother filmed their journey down the Green River and Colorado. Emery Kolb showed this film regularly in his studio until 1976, when he died at the age of 95 years. Today the building serves as an art gallery and exhibition.
- The El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905 and is the most luxurious inn in the South Rim. The hotel consists of 4 stories with a rustic chalet appearance called "National Park Rustic." It was designed by Charles Whittlesley. Souvenir shops and restaurants are located within the hotel.
- The Hopi House was built by Mary Jane Colter in 1905. The house is built on structures built in the ancient Hopi neighborhood called Old Oraibi, located in Mesa Third in eastern Arizona. It serves as a residence for the Hopi Indians who sell arts and crafts to South Rim visitors.
- Curios Verkamp, ​​standing next to Hopi House, was built by John Verkamp in 1905. He sells arts and crafts and souvenirs. Until September 2008, it was run by his descendants; in November 2008, the building reopened as a visitor center focusing on the history of the Grand Canyon Village community.
- The Grand Canyon Railway Depot was completed in 1910 and contains 2 levels. Gordon Chappell, Regional Historian for Park Services, claims that this depot building is one of only three log cabin-style train stations currently standing, of the fourteen ever built in the US. Depo is the northern terminal of the Grand Canyon Railway that begins in Williams , Arizona.
- Lookout Studio, another Mary Colter design, was built in 1914. Photography, artwork, books, souvenirs, and rock and fossil specimens are sold here. Bright Angel Trail views can be seen here.
- Desert View Watchtower, one of Mary Colter's most famous works, was built in 1932. Located at the far east end of South Rim, 27 miles (43 km) from Grand Canyon Village, the tower stands 70 feet (21 feet) ) is high. The top of the tower is 7,522 feet (2,293 m) above sea level, the highest point in the South Ring. It offers one of several full views of the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River. It was designed to mimic Anasazi's supervisor, though, with four levels, it was significantly higher than the historical tower.
- The Bright Angel Lodge was built from wooden and stone blocks in 1935. Mary Colter designed the cottage and built by Fred Harvey Company. Inside the cottage is a small museum honoring Fred Harvey (June 27, 1835 - February 9, 1901), who played a major role in popularizing the Grand Canyon. In the Historical Room is a stone fireplace layered in the same order as the one in the canyon.
Weather Edit
Weather in Grand Canyon varies by height. Forest rims are high enough to receive winter snow, but along the Colorado River at Inner Gorge, temperatures are similar to those found in Tucson and other low elevation lowland locations in Arizona. Conditions in the Grand Canyon region are generally dry, but substantial rainfall occurs twice a year, during seasonal winter shifts (when Pacific storms usually provide widespread rain, moderate and high rainfall to the west) and late summer ( because the North American monsoon, which sends waves of moisture from the southeast, causes a lightning storm that is localized by the heat of the day). The average annual rainfall in South Rim is less than 16 inches (41 cm), with 60 inches (150 cm) of snow; The higher North Rim typically receives 27 inches (69 cm) of humidity, with a typical 144 inch (370 cm) snowfall; and Phantom Ranch, well below the canyon ridges along the Colorado River at 2,500 feet (762 m) received only 8 inches (20 cm) of rain, and snow is a rare thing.
Temperatures vary wildly throughout the year, with summer peaks in the Inner Gorge typically exceeding 100 ° F (37.8 ° C) and the minimum winter temperature sometimes falling below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8 ° C ) along the edge of the canyon. Visitors are often shocked by this extreme condition, and this, along with the high altitude of the canyon ravine, can cause unpleasant side effects such as dehydration, sunburn, and hypothermia.
Weather conditions can greatly affect mountain climbing and canyons, and visitors should get accurate forecasts due to the dangers posed by exposure to extreme temperatures, winter storms and late summer rains. Although park services post weather information at gates and visitor centers, these are only rough estimates, and should not be relied on for travel planning. For precise weather in the canyon, pedestrians should consult NOAA National Weather Service weather radio or the official National Weather Service website.
The National Weather Service has had a cooperative station in the South Rim since 1903. The record high temperatures in the South Rim were 105 Â ° F (41 Â ° C) on June 26, 1974, and the record low temperatures were -20 Â ° F (-29 Â ° C) on January 1, 1919, February 1, 1985, and December 23, 1990.
Air quality Edit
The Grand Canyon area has some clean air in the United States. However, sometimes air quality can be severely affected by events such as forest fires and dust storms in the Southwest.
What are the effects that exist on air quality and visibility on the canyon mainly from sulfate, soil, and organic. Sulfates are mostly generated from urban emissions in southern California, borne by the prevailing western winds throughout the year, and emissions from Arizona's copper smelter, borne in the south or southeast wind during the rainy season. Airborne land comes from windy conditions and road dust. Organic particles are generated from vehicle emissions, long distance transport from urban areas, and forest fires, as well as from VOCs emitted by vegetation in the surrounding forest. Nitrate, carried from urban areas, stationary sources, and vehicle emissions; as well as carbon black from forest fires and vehicle emissions, also contributes to lower levels.
A number of measures have been taken to preserve and further improve air quality and visibility in the canyon. In 1990, the amendment of the Clean Air Act established the Grand Canyon Transportation Commission (GCVTC) to advise the US EPA on strategies to protect visual air quality in the Colorado Highlands. GCVTC released its final report in 1996 and initiated the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), a partnership of state, tribal and federal agencies to help coordinate the implementation of the Commission's recommendations.
In 1999, the Regional Haze Rule set a goal of restoring visibility in national parks and wilderness areas (Class 1 areas), such as the Grand Canyon, to a natural background level by 2064. Further revisions to the rules provide specific requirements to make reasonable progress. toward that goal.
In the early 1990s, research showed that the emissions of SO 2 , sulfate precursors, of the Navajo Generating Station affect visibility in the canyon especially in winter, and which if controlled would increase winter visibility by 2 to 7 %. As a result, scrubber was added to the three factory units from 1997 to 1999, reducing SO2 emissions by more than 90%. The plant also installed a low SOFA burner x in 2009 -2011, reducing NO x emissions, nitrate precursors, by 40%. Emissions from the Mohave Generating Station to the west are also found to affect vision in the canyon. The factory was required to install a SO 2 scrubber, but instead closed in 2005, completely eliminating its emissions.
The specified fires are usually done in the spring and fall in the forest adjacent to the canyon to reduce the potential for severe forest fires and result in smoke conditions. Although specified fires also affect air quality, controlled conditions allow the use of management techniques to minimize their impact.
Biological and ecological Plants Edit
There are approximately 1737 known vascular plant species, 167 species of fungi, 64 species of moss and 195 species of moss found in the Grand Canyon National Park. This variety is largely due to the 8,000 feet (2,400 m) elevation of the Colorado River up to the highest point in the North Circle. The Grand Canyon offers dozens of endemic plants (known only within Park boundaries) while only ten percent of the exotic Garden flora. Sixty-three plants found here have been granted special status by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Mojave Desert affects the western part of the canyon, the Sonoran Desert vegetation covers the eastern part, and the ponderosa and pinyon pine forests grow in both rims.
A natural perk and springs seeping out of the canyon wall is home to 11% of all plant species found in the Grand Canyon. The canyon itself can act as a liaison between east and west by providing suitable habitat corridors along its length. The canyon can also be a genetic barrier for some species, such as an ear-fringed squirrel.
Aspects, or directions facing slopes, also play a major role in adding diversity to the Grand Canyon. The north-facing slopes receive about a third the amount of normal sunlight, so the plants grown there are similar to those found at higher altitudes, or in northern latitudes. The south-facing slopes receive full sunlight and are covered in typical Sonoran Desert vegetation.
Animal Edit
Of the 90 species of mammals found along the Colorado River corridor, 18 are rodents and 22 bats.
Zones of life and community Edit
The National Park has several major ecosystems. Its large biological diversity can be attributed to the presence of five of the seven living zones and three of the four desert types in North America. The five life zones represented are Sonoran Bottom, Sonoran Top, Transition, Canada, and Hudson. This is equivalent to traveling from Mexico to Canada. The difference in elevation and the resulting climate variations are the main factors that make up the various zones of life and society in and around the canyon. The Grand Canyon National Park contains 129 vegetation communities, and the composition and distribution of plant species is influenced by climate, geomorphology and geology.
Lower Sonoran Edit
The Lower Sonoran lifestyle stretches from the Colorado River to 3,500 feet (1,100 m). Along the Colorado River and its tributaries, there is a riparian community. Coyote willow, arrowweed, goep-willow, mesquite western honey, catclaw acacia, and exotic tamarisk (saltcedar) are the dominant species. Hanging gardens, seeps and springs often contain rare plants such as white flowering western redbud, river orchids, and Flaveria mcdougallii. Endangered fish in the river include a humpback chub and a razorback sucker.
The three most common amphibians in this riparian community are the canyon tree frogs, red-marked frogs, and the Rocky Mountain Woodhouse frog. Leopard frogs are very rare in the Colorado River corridor, they have experienced a massive decline and have not been seen in the Canyon in a few years. There are 33 species of crustaceans found on the Colorado River and its tributaries in the Grand Canyon National Park. Of these 33, 16 are considered true zooplankton organisms.
Only 48 species of birds are regularly nesting along rivers, while others use rivers as migratory corridors or habitats that are too winter. The bald eagle is one species that uses river corridors as winter habitat.
The Beaver River may have disappeared from the garden at the end of the 20th century, and the muskrat is very rare. Beaver cuts willow trees, cotton trees, and shrubs for food, and can significantly influence riparian vegetation. Other rodents, such as antelope squirrels and pocket mice, are mostly omnivores, using many different types of vegetation. The Grand Canyon bats are usually perched on the desert plateau, but feed on many insects along the river and its tributaries. In addition to bats, coyotes, ringtails, and skunks are the most riparian predators and prey on invertebrates, rodents, and reptiles.
Raccoons, weasels, bobcats, gray foxes, and mountain lions are also present, but much more rare. Mule deer and desert bighorn sheep are ungulates that are often river corridors. Since the removal of 500 wild burro in the early 1980s, the number of bighorn sheep has recovered. Deer mules are generally not permanent residents along the river, but walk down from the edge when food and water sources there become scarce.
Species of insects commonly found in river corridors and tributaries are pests, caddis flies, dragonflies, stone flies, blackflies, mites, beetles, butterflies, moths and fire ants. Many species of spiders and several species of scorpions include scorpion bark and hairy scorpions a giant desert inhabiting the riparian zone.
Eleven aquatic species and 26 species of terrestrial mollusks have been identified in and around the Grand Canyon National Park. Of aquatic species, two are bivalves (shells) and nine are gastropods (snails). Twenty-six species of terrestrial gastropods have been identified, especially land snails and snails.
There are about 41 species of reptiles in the Grand Canyon National Park. Ten are considered common along river corridors and include lizards and snakes. The density of lizards tends to be highest along the expanse of land between the water's edge and the beginning of the highland desert communities. The two largest lizards in the canyon are mad monsters and chuckwallas. Many species of snakes, which are not directly dependent on surface water, can be found both within the abyss and the Colorado River corridor. Six species of vipers have been recorded in the park.
Above the river corridor, the desert shrub community, which consists of North American desert flora, thrives. Typical warm desert species such as creosote shrubs, white bursage, brittlebush, catclaw acacia, ocotillo, mariola, mesquite western honey, four saltbush, big sagebrush, blackbrush, and rubber bunny brushes grow in this community. The mammal fauna in the forest scrub community consists of 50 species, mostly rodents and bats. Three of the five species of woodrat Garden live in the desert shrub community.
Except for the western (desert) gecko band, which appears to be distributed only near water along the Colorado River, all the reptiles found near the river also appear on the plateau, but in lower densities. Gopher desert tortoises, endangered species, inhabit the scrublands desert at the western end of the park.
Some common insects found at altitudes above 2,000 feet (610 m) are wasps of orange paper, honey bees, blackflies, tarantula eagles, rotten insects, beetles, black ants, monarch butterflies and swallowtails. Solifugids, wood spiders, garden spiders, black widow spiders and tarantulas can be found in the bush and upland.
Upper and Transitional Sonoran Edit
The Upper Sonoran Life Zone covers most of the inner canyons and the South Rim at an altitude of 3,500 to 7,000 feet (1,100 to 2,100 m). This zone is generally dominated by blackbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper woodlands. The altitude of 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,100 to 1,200 m) is in the Mojave Desert community of Upper Sonoran. This community is dominated by four-winged shrubs and creosote shrubs; Other important crops include Utah agave, mesquite narrowleaf, ratany, catclaw acacia, and various species of cactus.
About 30 species of birds breed mainly in the desert plateau and cliffs in the inner canyon. Almost all bird species present breed in other suitable habitats throughout the Sonoran and Mohave deserts. The abundance of bats, swallows, and riparian birds provides enough food for peregrines, and a suitable eyrie site abounds along the steep canyon walls. Also, some endangered California condors introduced back to the Colorado Plateau on the Arizona Strip have made the eastern part of their Garden home.
The coniferous forest provides habitat for 52 species of mammals. Hedgehogs, mice, red squirrels, Kaibab-studded tassels and Abert squirrels, black bears, deer donkeys and deer are found at higher altitude parks in the Kaibab Plateau.
Above the scrub desert and up to 6,200 feet (1,900 m) is a pinyon pine forest and one juniper woodland seed. In this forest we can find large bushes, snakeweed, Mormon tea, Utah agave, banana and narrowleaf Yucca, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, dropseed, and needlegrass. There are various snakes and lizards here, but a reptile species, mountain-horned lizard, is a very abundant resident of piÃÆ' in the juniper jungle and ponderosa pine.
The Ponderosa pine forest grows at altitudes between 6,500 and 8,200 feet (2,000 and 2,500 m), in both North and South rims in the Transition life zone. The Southern Ring includes species such as the gray fox, mule deer, bighorn sheep, rock squirrels, pinyon pine and juniper Utah. Additional species such as Gambel oak, New Mexico locusts, mountain mahogany, elderberry, crawling mahogany, and fescue have been identified in these forests. The Utah tiger salamander and Great Basin spadefoot toad are the two common amphibians in the jungle rim. Of the approximately 90 species of birds that breed in the forests including needle tree species, 51 are summer inhabitants and at least 15 of them are known as neotropic migrants. Canadian and Hudsonian
Edit
The altitude of 8,200 to 9,000 feet (2,500 to 2,700 m) is in the Canadian Life Zone, which includes the North Circle and Kaibab Plateau. The pine-fir woods characterized by Engelmann firs, blue firs, Douglas pines, white pine, aspen, and mountain ash, along with several species of perennial grass, soil, yarrow, cinquefoil, lupine, sediment, and aster, grow in sub-species this. alpine climate. Mountain lions, Kaibab squirrels, and northern goshawks are found here.
The Montane meadows and the subalpine grassland community in the Hudsonian life zone are rare and only located in the North Circle. Both are characterized by many species of grass. Some of these grasses include blue and black grama, big galleta, Indian ricegrass and three-awns. The wettest area supports sediment and forbs.
Grand Canyon tourism Edit
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the world's major natural attractions, attracting approximately five million visitors per year. Overall, 83% came from the United States: California (12.2%), Arizona (8.9%), Texas (4.8%), Florida (3.4%) and New York (3.2%) represents the top domestic visitors. Seventeen percent of visitors come from outside the United States; The most prominent countries represented are Britain (3.8%), Canada (3.5%), Japan (2.1%), Germany (1.9%) and the Netherlands (1.2%). The South Rim is open year round allowing weather. The northern ring is generally open mid-May to mid-October.
Activity Edit
In addition to the leisurely stroll from the South Rim (an average of 7,000 feet [2,100 m] above sea level), rafting, hiking, running, and helicopter tours are very popular. The Grand Canyon Ultra Marathon is a 78-mile (126 km) race for 24 hours. The valley floor is accessible by foot, muleback, or by boat or raft from the upper river. Climbing into the river and returning to the shore in one day is not recommended by park attendants because of the distance, steep and rocky paths, altitude changes, and heat dangers from heat from much higher temperatures at the bottom. It needs every year's rescue from the unsuccessful rim-to-river-to-rim flight. Nevertheless, hundreds of seasoned and experienced walkers complete the journey each year.
Camping in North and South rims is generally confined to established camps and reservations are highly recommended, especially in busy South Rim. It's in the big camp available in many parts of North Circle managed by the Kaibab National Forest. North Rim campsites are only open seasonally due to road closures from winter weather and snow. All overnight camping under the ream requires inland permission from the Backcountry Office (BCO). Each year the Grand Canyon National Park receives about 30,000 requests for inland licenses. The park issued 13,000 permits, and nearly 40,000 people overnight. The earliest permission application received is the first of the month, four months before the proposed first month.
Travelers who look forward to more vertical perspectives can skydive, ride helicopters and small planes in Boulder, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Grand Canyon National Park Airport (seven miles from South Rim) for the canyon flyover. Scenic flights are no longer allowed to fly within 1500 feet of the park due to the 1990s crash. The last aerial video footage from underneath the rim was filmed in 1984. However, several helicopter flights landed in Havasupai and Hualapai Indian Reservations in the Grand Canyon (outside the park boundary).
In 2007, the Hualapai Tribe opened a glass-bottomed Grand Canyon Skywalk on their property, Grand Canyon West. Skywalk is about 250 miles (400 km) by road from Grand Canyon Village in South Rim. Skywalk has attracted "thousands of visitors every year, mostly from Las Vegas".
In 2016, parachuting at the Grand Canyon becomes possible with the first Grand Canyon Skydiving operation opened at Grand Canyon National Park Airport, in the South Rim.
In 2014, developers announced plans to build a multimedia complex on the edge of a canyon called the Grand Canyon Escalade. At 420 hectares there will be shops, IMAX theaters, hotels and RV parks. A gondola will allow an easy visit to the canyon floor where "sidewalks" from "connected sidewalks, a restaurant, a tram station, a seating area, and a wastewater package installation" will be placed. President of the Navajo Nation, Ben Shelly has indicated agreement; the tribe must invest $ 65 million for road, water and communications facilities for the $ 1 billion complex. One of the developers is Navajo and has mentioned 8 to 18 percent of the gross income for the tribe as an incentive.
View the canyon Edit
Lipan Point is a cape located in the South Rim. This point is located east of the Grand Canyon Village along Desert View Drive. There is a parking lot for visitors who want to drive along with the canyon bus service that routinely stops at that point. Trailhead to Tanner Trail is located just before the parking lot. The view from Lipan Point shows the various layers of rock and Unkar Creek area in the inner canyon.
Victim of Grand Canyon death Edit
About 770 deaths have occurred between the mid-1800s and 2015. From deaths occurring from 1869 to 2001, some were as follows: 53 results from fall; 65 is caused by environmental causes, including heat attacks, heart attacks, dehydration, and hypothermia; 7 trapped in flash floods; 79 drowned in the Colorado River; 242 were killed in plane crashes and helicopters (128 of them in the 1956 disaster mentioned below); 25 died in errors and strange accidents, including lightning strikes and falling stones; and 23 were murder victims.
1956 air disaster Edit
In 1956, the Grand Canyon was the scene of the deadliest commercial flight disaster in history at the time.
On the morning of June 30, 1956, a TWA Lockheed Super Constellation and United Airlines Douglas DC-7 departed Los Angeles International Airport within three minutes of each other on a cross-continent flight to the east. About 90 minutes later, two propeller-driven planes collided over the canyon while both flew in an unmonitored air space.
The ruins of both planes fell to the eastern part of the canyon, at Temple and Chuar Buttes, near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. The disaster killed all 128 passengers and crew members on both planes.
These accidents led to the agency's high altitude airways and direct aircraft radar observations (known as positive controls) by ground-based travel controllers.
See also Edit
References Edit
External links Edit
- Grand Canyon National Park Service
- Grand Canyon Backcountry Use Area - Map
- Geographic data associated with the Grand Canyon in OpenStreetMap
History
- Grand Canyon Bibliography - Grand Canyon bibliography. 37,462 items produced between 1540 and now.
- Grand Canyon Explorer: Timeline of history from 10,000 years ago to 1994.
Travel and site
- Grand Canyon Chamber & amp; Visitor Bureau
- 36 Hours at the Grand Canyon by The New York Times , 31 May 2009
Rich Media
- Photo NPS
- The 3-D Grand Canyon Perspective Ã, â € "looking southwest, pointing out North Rim and Canyon.
- Grand Canyon - Street View - Google Maps
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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