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Grand Canyon National Park
Park Statistics
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Geographic Statistics
The park is dominated by the spectacular Grand Canyon; a twisting, 1 mile/ 1.6km deep and 277 mile/ 433km long gorge, formed during some six million years of geological activity and erosion by the Colorado River on the upraised earth's crust. The river divides the park into the North Rim and South Rim which overlook the 10 mile/ 16km wide canyon. The buttes, spires, mesas and temples in the canyon are in fact mountains looked down upon from the rims. On-going erosion by the seasonal and permanent rivers produces impressive waterfalls and rapids of washed-down boulders along the length of the canyon and its tributaries. There are over 100 named rapids. Exposed horizontal geological strata in the canyon span some 2,000 million years of geological history, providing evidence of the four major geological eras; late Precambrian, Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. (Hunt, 1969; Babcock et al., 1974; Newman, 1977)
Park Size: |
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1,217,403.32 acres/ 487,350 hectares
1,904 sq. miles/ 4,950 kilometers |
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The "Grand Canyon” |
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Length |
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277 river miles/ 433km |
Width |
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Minimum (Marble Canyon)
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600 feet/ 180 meters |
Average Rim to Rim
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10 miles/ 16km |
Maximum Rim to Rim
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18 miles/ 28.8km |
Average Depth |
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1 mile/ 1.6km |
Rim Elevations |
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South Rim
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7,000 feet/ 2100m |
North Rim
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8,000 feet/ 2400m |
Lake Mead Boundary
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1,200 feet/ 360m |
Volume |
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Cubic Yards
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5.45 trillion |
Cubic Meters
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4.17 trillion |
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The "Colorado River”
(within Grand Canyon National Park) |
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Length
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277 miles/ 443km |
Average Width:
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300 feet/ 90m |
Minimum Width
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76 feet/ 23m |
Average Depth
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40 feet/ 12m |
Greatest Depth
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85 feet/ 25.5m |
Average Gradient
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7 feet per mile/ 12m per 1.6km |
Elevation at Phantom Ranch
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2,400 feet/ 720m |
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The Colorado River is 1,450-miles/ 2,333km long
from its source in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado
to the Gulf of California.
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The Grand Canyon from Lipan Point on the South Rim |
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Did You Know?
There are 3 different river trip opportunities through Grand Canyon National Park, including professionally guided raft trips, available to the public and often reserved a year or two in advance; and self-guided, or "private" river trips, made available to the public through a weighted lottery.
more...
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Last Updated: February 21, 2008 at 23:17 EST |