Grand Canyon Adventure

By: Erica SealsEducation 373

September 22, 2009

Experience

Last summer I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada. After a few days of vacation my group decided to drive five hours to Williams,Arizona. We wanted to see the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

• As we got close to the national park, we observed some cliffs and decided to check them out. They were extremely steep. I could see a river at the bottom.

• When we arrived at the Bright Angel trail, a fifteen mile trail, we agreed that we wanted to see how far we could hike down. Of course, we knew we would have to eventually hike back up so we didn’t go too far.

Questions???

• How deep is the Grand Canyon?• What kinds of plants and animals live in the

Grand Canyon?• How did the Grand Canyon form?• What does the bottom of the Grand Canyon

look like?

Connection with Indicators

• 4.3.2: Begin to investigate and explain that air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space, and whose movements we feel as wind.

• 4.3.5: Describe how waves, wind, water, and glacial ice shape and reshape the Earth's land surface by erosion of rock and soil in some areas and depositing them in other areas.

• 4.3.6: Recognize and describe that rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.

• 4.3.7: Explain that smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks and that soil is made partly from weathered rock, partly from plant remains, and also contains many living organisms.

Grand Canyon•277 miles long•South Rim: about 5000 feet or 7 miles on the trail

Deepest Point: about 6000 feet

A trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then back up is a two day trip.

• Rim to rim hikers generally take three days one way to get from the North Rim to the South Rim.

• A trip through the Grand Canyon by raft can take two weeks or longer.

• Experienced backpackers have spent weeks in the more remote areas of the canyon.

http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/size.htm

Animals on the Trail

Plants

The plants that grow in the Grand Canyon tend to have very shallow root systems so that they can grab as much water as possible on those rare occasions when it does rain.

Survival

One way to get help when you are on the trails is by helicopter. It is

often hard for the helicopter to find a safe ledge to land on.

While my group was on the trail, an older man was having trouble

hiking back up and needed assistance.

What Does the Bottom Look Like?

http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/photo/msg0914510212522.jpghttp://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/show_photo.php?photo=md952017.jpg

How it Formed

• The Colorado River has been running through the Grand Canyon for years. As it runs through, it carries away sediments which causes erosion. Over time, the river has created steep banks.

• Ice is also a factor. When the water freezes it expands and pushes the rocks apart and widens the cracks that are present. This causes rocks to fall and damage other rocks or landscape.

• Wind also causes erosion. As sediments are carried and blown around, the rocks change formation.

http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/78/3078-004-9B8860F2.jpg

References• Pictures:

– Erica Seals and Ryan Voegerl– http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/size.htm– http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/photo/msg0914510212522.jpg– http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/show_photo.php?photo=md952017.jpg– http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/78/3078-004-9B8860F2.jpg

• Sites:– Grand Canyon National Park. Park Size. Retrieved September 20, 2009 from

http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/size.htm.– Grand Canyon Explorer. The Geology of the Grand Canyon. Retrieved September 20, 2009 from

http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm.

• Books: – Christensen, Shane (2008). Grand Canyon National Park. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishers.– Bauer, Marion (1996). The Grand Canyon. Ney York, NY: Aladdin.– Weintraub, Aileen (2001). The Grand Canyon: The Widest Canyon. New York, NY: PowerKids

Press.– Adkison, Ron (1997). Hiking Grand Canyon National Park. Helena, MT: Falcon Press Publishing.