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AWESOME NATURAL WONDERS
GRAND
CANYON
The Grand Canyon in Arizona
certainly deserves the name
“Grand.” It’s one of the biggest,
most breathtaking rock
formations you can see
anywhere in the world.
The Grand Canyon is a gorge—a
very deep, steep-sided river valley.
The high cliffs on either side are
striped in stunning shades of
color, made up of bands of rock
of different types and ages.
Some gorges are narrow,
but the Grand Canyon is very
wide. It varies from 600 feet to
19 miles (183 m to 30 km)
across. At its deepest, it’s almost
1.25 miles (2 km) deep, and it
reaches nearly 280 miles (450 km)
in length.
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
Gorges form when a river cuts
through rock as it flows. Over
millions of years, the Colorado
River has carved its way down
through the landscape to create
the massive canyon. The river still
flows along the bottom today.
This canyon is known around the
world as one of our planet’s most
awesome sights.
AWESOMENESS
DON’T LOOK DOWN
Nearly five million tourists
visit the Grand Canyon area
every year. You can take a
plane or helicopter flight
around it, or step out onto
the Grand Canyon Skywalk,
a glass-floored walkway
4,000 feet (1,219 m) above
the bottom. Yikes!
The Grand Canyon, with the Colorado
River flowing through it.
