1. Size: 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide and one mile deep, covering 1,900 square miles
2. Age: 6 million years old, young in geologic timelines
3. Origination: Cut by the Colorado River, which is now about 300 feet wide, 100 feet deep and flows about four miles per hour
4. Ecosystems: Home to 5 out of 7 life zones – Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian
5. Animal life: 70 species of mammals, 250 species of birds, 25 types of reptiles and 5 species of amphibians
6. Plant life: 1,500 species of vascular plants, 167 species of fungi, 64 species of moss and 195 species of lichen
7. Human life: Native tribes still living there are the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Paiute and Hualapai; settlers represent many different nations and cultures
8. Geology: 11 layers of rock visible from river’s edge to rim. Rock types include: Limestone, Toroweap, Sandstone, Shale, and Schist.
9. Temperature extremes: from highs around 105 F. in summer below the rim to around 16 F. low below the rim in winter
10. Preservation: Designated a national monument in 1908 and gained national park status in 1919
Leave a Reply