Study Site Assessment Part A
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Geology
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Apr 3, 2024
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PART A: DESCRIPTION OF STUDY SITE
The location that I have selected for the Study Site Assessment is the Grand Canyon South Rim, located at longitude and latitude coordinates of 36.0604° N and 112.1076° W. These coordinates direct us to 60 miles north of Williams, Arizona and 80 miles northwest of Flagstaff. The South Rim is arguably the most popular and frequently visited location within the Grand Canyon because of its breathtaking views of the canyon and the Colorado River, making it a perfect place for first-time Grand Canyon visitors. The reasons as to why I selected the Grand Canyon South Rim is because it is ecologically and geologically diverse, it has a spectacular landscape formed by millions of years of processes, such as downcutting, movement of plate tectonics, and sediment deposition, and the rock layers follow the law of superposition. Figure 1. Grand Canyon - Aerial view of the South Rim The South Rim being both wide and deep allows for a variety of habitats that consist of various rare and endangered plant and animal species. Its biodiversity includes over 450 bird species, 91 mammal species, and over 18 fish species. From aquatic to desert ecosystems, I believe that the South Rim is a great topic to explore because it is important to also understand the relationship between geology and ecology.
Figure 2. Grand Canyon - Illustration of the formation of the Grand Canyon
The formation of the Grand Canyon took place over millions of years, and it is a result of sediment deposition (1 in Figure 2), plate tectonics (2), and downcutting (3). The formation of the Grand Canyon begins with the deposition of sediemnts on top of the igenous and
metamorphic rocks that had formed 2 millions years ago. Following this, the movement of plate tectonics lifted the layers of rock, one of which is called the Kaibab Limestone, from the
bottom of the ocean to thousands of feet above sea level. This uplift was a crucial element that formed the Grand Canyon we see today. Finally, flow of the Colorado river for the past five to six million years has led to downcutting. This downcutting is what formed the canyon and the valleys. Other factors such as temperature changes and extreme winds continue to erode the rocks. Figure 3. Grand Canyon - Model showing the layers of rocks in the Grand Canyon
Finally, the rocks follow the law of superposition. By examining the layers of the rocks, we realise that there are three major rock layers. The first layer is the metamorphic and igneous rocks that were buried by the deposition of sediments. The second layer is the Precambrian Supergroup, and the third layer (the topmost layer), is the Paleozoic strata. By stratigraphy, we see that the topmost layer is the youngest, while the metamorphic basement layer is the oldest. It is interesting to see that there are also fossils within each of these layers. For instance, within the Kaibab Limestone, there are brachiopod shells. These fossils in the different layers are significant for us to help determine the age of the rocks.
References
Ecology of grand canyon national park
. Ecology of Grand Canyon National Park | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/ecology-grand-canyon- national-park#:~:text=Cacti%2C%20sage%2C%20yucca%2C%20and,the%20bottom
%20of%20the%20canyon.
Geology of grand canyon national park
. Geology of Grand Canyon National Park | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-grand-canyon-
national-park#:~:text=The%20three%20main%20rock%20layer,%2C%20and
%203)%20Paleozoic%20strata.
U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Ecology for students
. National Parks Service. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/education/ecology.htm
U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Fossils
. National Parks Service. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/fossils.htm?scrlybrkr=ffdec3c2
U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Geology
. National Parks Service. Retrieved November
3, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/grca-geology.htm
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