Grand Canyon National Park - Ranger Minute - How Old? (mov) (U.S. National Park Service)

Ranger Minutes are short audiocasts or videocasts in which a park ranger shares interesting stories and information about Grand Canyon National Park.

nps photo by michael quinn

View from Mohave Point (West Rim)

Ranger Minute - March 2007 - 1:52

How Old Is The Grand Canyon?
Ranger David Smith describes how the rocks exposed within the Grand Canyon range from the fairly young to the fairly old. (geologically speaking)

If we could compress the geological age of the earth into one calendar year, on what day would the Grand Canyon have been formed?

If you have the Quicktime Player on your computer (Mac or Windows) you should see a player on the right.
Click on the player to activate it, then, press the play button. It may take a few seconds for the video to start.

If your playback is uneven and you would rather download the file to your computer,
this is a direct link. (3.38MB MOV File)

Basic Answers to Geological Questions Downloadable

Often described as Earth's greatest geological showcase, the ensemble of stunning dimensions — the melding of depth, width, and length — sets Grand Canyon apart. Nowhere else features such a dazzling variety of colorful rock layers, impressive buttes, and shadowed side canyons. Grand Canyon is the Illustration: canyon against which all other canyons are compared.

Download Basic Answers to Geological Questions (292kb PDF File)
This is page 6 from the Grand Canyon Guide newspaper.

Some of the photos in Ranger David's presentation are from the United States Geological Survey's .

Click here to see more USGS photography of Grand Canyon National Park. This includes views along and within the canyon and a collection of historic images along the Colorado River taken by the Powell Expedition of 1872. Website images include both standard photograph and 3D views (as anaglyphs - requiring red-and-cyan 3D viewing glasses).