The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

 a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States.

 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile
 recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through
the area about 5 to 6 million years ago
 president Theodore Roosevelt - proponent of preservation of the area
- proclaimed the G.C. a national park in 1908
 for thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans,
 the Pueblo people - holy site and - made pilgrimages to it
 García López de Cárdenas (1540,Spain) - the first European
 is one of the world's premier natural attractions (five million visitors per year) and one of the
world’s great natural wonders
 The Anasazi Indians used to live there about 2000 years ago
 Shaman’s Gallery - rock paintings which have been preserved

Weather in the Grand Canyon

 varies according to elevation

 the forested rims - high enough to receive winter snowfall
 along the Colorado River in the Inner Gorge, temperatures similar to those found in low
elevation desert locations in Arizona.
 conditions generally dry
 substantial precipitation occurs twice annually, during seasonal pattern shifts in winter and
in late summer (due to the North American Monsoon)
 temperatures vary wildly throughout the year - summer highs within the Inner Gorge
commonly exceeding 37.8 °C and winter minimum temperatures falling below zero
degrees Fahrenheit (−17.8 °C) along the canyon's rims.
 visitors are often surprised by these potentially extreme conditions - can lead to unpleasant
side effects such as dehydration, sunburn, and hypothermia
 the Grand Canyon area has some of the cleanest air in the United States.

Flora and Fauna

 the Park contains several major ecosystems

 great biological diversity - attributed to the presence of five of the seven life zones and three
of the four desert types in North America
 coyote willow, arrowweed, seep-willow, western honey mesquite, catclaw acacia, and
exotic tamarisk (saltcedar) are the predominant species
 endangered fish in the river : the humpback chub and the razorback sucker
 Animals : coyote, mule deer, tortoise, bighorn sheep, rock squirrel, the white-tailed squirrel
(kaibab squirrel), hummingbirds, horn lizard, mountain lion, chipmunks, wild turkey, rattlesnake,
kingsnake (constrictor), mocking bird
 Plants: the wishing pile, juniper, aspen tree, agave tree (which blooms once in a lifetime)