With numbers this staggering—including a maximum depth of 6,000 feet and a geological history spanning 1.8 billion years—the Grand Canyon is far more than just a big hole in the ground.
Key Takeaways
- The Grand Canyon measures 277 miles (446 km) in length from Lake Powell to Lake Mead.
- The widest point of the Grand Canyon spans 18 miles (29 km) across.
- The average width of the Grand Canyon is approximately 10 miles (16 km).
- The Vishnu Schist basement rock is exposed over 20 miles along the inner gorge.
- The Grand Canyon's rock layers represent 1.8 billion years of Earth's history.
- Kaibab Limestone caps the rims, formed 270 million years ago in a tropical sea.
- The Grand Canyon hosts 355 bird species, including 50 breeders.
- 89 mammal species inhabit the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
- The park records 56 reptile species, including 18 lizards.
- The Grand Canyon was first visited by Europeans in 1540 by Garcia Lopez de Cardenas.
- John Wesley Powell led the first river expedition through the canyon in 1869.
- The Havasupai Tribe has inhabited the canyon for over 1,000 years.
- Annual visitation to Grand Canyon National Park exceeded 5 million in 2018.
- In 2022, 4.7 million visitors entered the park.
- South Rim attracts 90% of all visitors annually.
The Grand Canyon's immense size and history reveal breathtaking natural wonders across millions of years.
Biodiversity
- The Grand Canyon hosts 355 bird species, including 50 breeders.
- 89 mammal species inhabit the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
- The park records 56 reptile species, including 18 lizards.
- 21 amphibian species live in the Grand Canyon, many endemic.
- Over 1,700 plant species thrive in the Grand Canyon's varied habitats.
- The California Condor population in the canyon reached 80+ by 2023.
- Kaibab Squirrel is endemic to the North Rim, population ~1,000.
- Havasu Wolverine, thought extinct, was rediscovered in 2023.
- 11 fish species native to the Colorado River in the canyon.
- The Agave parryi blooms once every 20-30 years.
- Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake is one of 13 rattlesnake species.
- Over 300 butterfly species documented in the park.
- Kanab Ambersnail is federally endangered, found in 5 seeps.
- 34 aquatic invertebrate species are endemic to springs.
- Pinyon Jay population declined 85% since 1970s in the canyon.
- Desert Bighorn Sheep number around 800 in the park.
- Over 1,000 bee species potentially in the Grand Canyon.
- The Sentry Milk-vetch is a rare plant found only on the North Rim.
- Mexican Spotted Owl occupies 20 territories in the canyon.
- Grand Canyon Scorpion is one of 20 arachnid species.
- Native Humpback Chub population stabilized at 7,000 adults.
Biodiversity Interpretation
The Grand Canyon is a living census where over a thousand plant species anchor a fragile, bustling metropolis of creatures—from endemic squirrels holding down the North Rim like tiny, territorial landlords to a once-extinct wolverine staging a dramatic comeback, all while the local condors, now exceeding eighty, soar overhead as if auditing the park’s ongoing, precarious balance between survival and statistics.
Geological Features
- The Vishnu Schist basement rock is exposed over 20 miles along the inner gorge.
- The Grand Canyon's rock layers represent 1.8 billion years of Earth's history.
- Kaibab Limestone caps the rims, formed 270 million years ago in a tropical sea.
- The Supai Group consists of four formations spanning 50 million years.
- Coconino Sandstone dunes were deposited 280 million years ago.
- Hermit Shale is 300 million years old, rich in fossils.
- Redwall Limestone formed 340 million years ago, 500-700 feet thick.
- Muav Limestone is Cambrian, 510 million years old.
- Bright Angel Shale contains trilobite fossils from 515 million years ago.
- Tapeats Sandstone is the basal Paleozoic layer, 525 million years old.
- The Great Unconformity shows 1.2 billion years missing between Vishnu Schist and Tapeats.
- Zoroaster Granite intrudes the Vishnu Schist, dated to 1.66 billion years.
- Brahma Granite is 1.74 billion years old in the inner gorge.
- The canyon's erosion began 5-6 million years ago with Colorado River incision.
- Over 40 major faults dissect the Grand Canyon region.
- The Havasu Canyon side canyon features travertine dams up to 30 feet high.
- Lava flows from 1 million years ago dammed the Colorado River multiple times.
- The Bass Limestone is Precambrian, 1.75 billion years old.
- Unkar Group metamorphic rocks date to 1.85 billion years ago.
- The Grand Canyon Supergroup tilts eastward at 15-25 degrees.
- Shinumo Quartzite in the Supergroup is 1.1 billion years old.
Geological Features Interpretation
That chasm you're casually peering into is essentially Earth's autobiography, left carelessly open to a page where 1.8 billion years of meticulous, layer-cake deposition is brutally interrupted by a 1.2-billion-year plot hole, all while being vandalized by granite intrusions, dissected by faults, periodically dammed by lava, and currently being read by a river eraser that only started scribbling five million years ago.
Historical Facts
- The Grand Canyon was first visited by Europeans in 1540 by Garcia Lopez de Cardenas.
- John Wesley Powell led the first river expedition through the canyon in 1869.
- The Havasupai Tribe has inhabited the canyon for over 1,000 years.
- Grand Canyon National Park was established on February 26, 1919.
- President Theodore Roosevelt visited in 1903, declaring it a national monument precursor.
- Over 4,000 Ancestral Puebloan ruins exist in the canyon.
- The Bright Angel Trail was built by David Rust starting in 1891.
- Phantom Ranch was constructed in 1922 by the Santa Fe Railroad.
- Uranium mining boomed in the 1950s, with 1 million pounds extracted.
- The Hualapai Tribe opened Skywalk in 2007.
- First woman to raft the canyon was Bessie Hyde in 1928.
- 11 expeditions mapped the canyon by the USGS before 1920s.
- The Navajo Bridge was completed in 1929, replacing a ferry.
- Supai Village has been continuously inhabited since 1200 AD.
- President Taft expanded the park to 2,000 square miles in 1908.
- The El Tovar Hotel opened in 1905 on the South Rim.
- Over 300 shipwrecks of boats occurred before 1950s.
- The Orphan Mine produced radium in 1910s.
- First aerial flight over canyon by Charles Walcott in 1872.
- Hopi Tribe has cultural sites dating back 4,000 years.
- Grand Canyon received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979.
Historical Facts Interpretation
While European explorers were late to the party, having missed several millennia of Indigenous history and even the hotel's opening by a few centuries, the Grand Canyon has patiently endured every epoch from ancient habitation to uranium booms, ultimately proving that while you can build a Skywalk over it, you can't build anything more permanent than its own timeless depth.
Physical Dimensions
- The Grand Canyon measures 277 miles (446 km) in length from Lake Powell to Lake Mead.
- The widest point of the Grand Canyon spans 18 miles (29 km) across.
- The average width of the Grand Canyon is approximately 10 miles (16 km).
- The Grand Canyon reaches a maximum depth of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) from rim to river.
- The Colorado River within the Grand Canyon drops an average of 8 feet per mile (1.8 m/km).
- The North Rim of the Grand Canyon stands at an average elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m).
- The South Rim elevation averages 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above sea level.
- The inner gorge of the Grand Canyon is about 3,000 feet (900 m) deep.
- The Grand Canyon covers a total area of 1,902 square miles (4,926 km²).
- The canyon's rim-to-rim distance via Bright Angel Trail is 24 miles (39 km).
- The Colorado River flows 277 miles through the Grand Canyon National Park.
- The canyon's volume is estimated at 5.45 trillion cubic yards (4.17 trillion cubic meters).
- Lee's Ferry marks the start of the Grand Canyon at 3,110 feet (948 m) elevation.
- The Grand Wash Cliffs border the western end of the Grand Canyon at 7,000 feet (2,134 m).
- The canyon's sinuosity ratio along the Colorado River is 1.6.
- Phantom Ranch sits at 2,460 feet (750 m) elevation in the canyon.
- The Tonto Platform spans 2-3 miles wide in many sections of the canyon.
- The Esplanade layer is a broad platform at 5,000-6,000 feet (1,524-1,829 m).
- The river's gradient through the canyon averages 0.1%.
- The Grand Canyon contains over 1,000 caves, many undiscovered.
Physical Dimensions Interpretation
The Grand Canyon's staggering volume of 5.45 trillion cubic yards, carved by a river that drops a mere eight feet per mile, proves that geological patience, when given a few million years, yields a masterpiece roughly the size of Delaware that you can hike across in a day if you're exceptionally brave and hydrated.
Visitor Statistics
- Annual visitation to Grand Canyon National Park exceeded 5 million in 2018.
- In 2022, 4.7 million visitors entered the park.
- South Rim attracts 90% of all visitors annually.
- Over 250,000 hikers attempt rim-to-rim annually.
- Rafting permits issued for 25,000 river users per year.
- Average 12 fatalities per year from 2007-2022.
- 1.2 million vehicle entries at South Entrance yearly.
- North Rim sees 600,000 visitors seasonally.
- Over 80% of visitors never go below the rim.
- Commercial air tours number 100,000 flights annually.
- Backcountry permits issued for 40,000 overnights yearly.
- 500,000 mule rides offered annually on South Rim trails.
- Peak visitation occurs in summer, with 20,000 daily.
- International visitors comprise 20% of total.
- Lodging occupancy reaches 95% in peak season.
- Over 1 million views from Mather Point yearly.
- River trips average 226 miles for non-commercial.
- 15 heat-related illnesses reported daily in summer.
- Annual economic impact from tourism is $1 billion.
- 70% of visitors arrive by car, 20% by plane.
- Skywalk attracted 1.7 million visitors since 2007.
- Havasu Falls receives 20,000 hikers yearly via reservation.
- 300 search and rescue operations conducted annually.
Visitor Statistics Interpretation
Five million people a year jostle for a space at the canyon's edge, mostly to stand on top, proving humanity is drawn to a magnificent precipice just to watch it safely from a parking lot.
Sources & References
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