how was the grand canyon created...ufo? meteor? what?

Answer 1

Erosion due to the Colorado River

Answer 2

Grand Canyon Meteor

Answer 3

I have heard a theory that it was created from a catastrophic event alike that experienced on a smaller scale at the eruption of Mt St Helens volcano not very far north of the Grand Canyon. There were heat seared canyons created and evaporated water flows and all sorts of the things seen at the canyon site....
Personally I've been there and normal erosion doesn't seem so plausible since the walls of the canyon in some places seem heat seared and it all curves and curves, the colorado is a fast and hard flowing river, it doesn't wind until it gets to the canyon. Anyway, another great mystery that can only be answered by human theories, just like a religion, put your faith in the one that works best for you.

Answer 4

Two separate geologic stories exist at Grand Canyon. The older story is the one revealed in the thick sequence of rocks exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rocks provide a remarkable record of the Paleozoic Era (550 - 250 million years ago). Scattered remnants of Precambrian rocks as old as 2,000 million years can also be found at the bottom of the canyon. The story these rocks tell is far older than the canyon itself. Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks (250 million years old to the present) are largely missing at Grand Canyon. They have either been worn away or were never deposited.

The second geologic story at Grand Canyon concerns the origin of the canyon itself: when and how did it come to be? On one level the answer is simple: Grand Canyon is an erosional feature that owes its existence to the Colorado River. Of equal importance are the forces of erosion that have shaped and continue to shape the canyon today. These include running water from rain, snowmelt, and tributary streams which enter the canyon throughout its length. The climate at Grand Canyon is classified as semi-arid. The South Rim receives 15 inches / 38 cm of precipitation each year. The bottom of the canyon receives 8 inches / 20 cm. The rain comes suddenly in violent storms, particularly in the late summer of each year. The power of erosion is therefore more evident here than in other places which receive more rain.

Answer 5

Simple answer....EROSION! The Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon has, over millions of years, eroded the ground to create the Grand Canyon. This can be confirmed using striations in the rocks of the Grand Canyon.

Answer 6

The Grand Canyon was the result of thousands of years of geology! The Colorado River slowly carved itself a channel through the existing rock, cutting deeper and deeper over the years. The end result was an incredible canyon, which is not only beautiful to look at, but also offers you the chance to look back through the ages and see what rocks used to exist on the earth's surface many years ago.

Answer 7

The most powerful force to have an impact on the Grand Canyon is erosion, primarily by water (and ice) and second by wind. Other forces that contributed to the Canyon's formation are the course of the Colorado River itself, vulcanism, continental drift and slight variations in the earths orbit which in turn causes variations in seasons and climate.

Answer 8

It started with the rain...

Thousands of Millennia ago, it rained. The water needed a place to go, so it took off for the lowest spot it could find. Once there, it gathered with the other water and decided to stick together to improve their chances of survival. Eventually, the pooled water grew large enough that it was no longer content to sit idly in its home. With each new addition to the watery family, it became obvious that it was time to reach out - to stretch beyond the boundaries of the pool it knew and resume it's travels.

As it branched out and took off for new places to explore, it picked up new friends to join in on the trek. With time the little stream grew and grew. As it did, the flowing water carved a path in the earth for the rest to follow along. As the descendents of the earliest migrating raindrops continued the journey over the course of millions of years, the little carved path eventually became a mighty stream, then a raging river. As the river flowed, the path was carved deeper and wider. And much as you can take and drag your fingernail across a piece of sandstone and see the groove you've left in your wake, so it was with the carved path - only with the benefit of so many years and so much water the path grew ever deeper and wider until it became as you see it now. The Grand Canyon.

You might think this the end of the story, but that would be premature. Even now, as you sit at your computer, the water continues still to wear away the stone. Thus, should the Earth survive us, the patrons who will be visiting the river millennia from now will be greeted by a wider, deeper canyon than the one we know and love in 2006.

Answer 9

The land that the river flows through rose up over millions of years, while the Colorado river continued to flow eroding the river bed and river banks. The rate of this erosion was roughly at the same rate as the rate of land rising. This created the great canyon, its high walls and steep sides.

Answer 10

The Grand Canyon is a remnant of a large body of water that has receded to what is now the Colorado River and cause the erosion that gives it its distinct appearance.