|
|
Geology of the Grand Canyon
The canyon is a Book of Revelations in the rock-leaved Bible of geology.
- John Wesley Powell
A professor of geology at Illinois Wesleyan, John Wesley Powell had more than
just a passing interest in the layers upon layers of rocks exposed by the
Colorado River. The expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers, he would
later claim, "was not made for adventure, but purely for scientific purposes,
geographic and geologic." And indeed, he did devote a great deal of time to
these purposes. In the afternoon, while his crew set up camp for the night,
Powell would often climb into the canyon to investigate.
Much has been learned about the geology of the Grand Canyon and about the
history of life on earth since Powell and his crew made their expedition in
1869. "Scroll Down through History" displays the layers of rock exposed within the Grand Canyon and shows when in earth's history they formed.
Go to "Scroll Down through History"
Cutaway of the Grand Canyon
Go to "Scroll Down through History"
text-only version
|
|
|
PBS Terms of Use Privacy Policy
Pledge Your Support
Stories to Go