I. Introduction-The Grand CanyonThe river has cut through the land, which allows us to see the passing of the eons before our eyes. The Grand Canyon is an impressive mile-deep canyon with red, gray, white, brown and black rock formations, cliffs and slopes. The Grand Canyon runs along the Colorado River from Marble Canyon, near the Utah-AZ border, to the Grand Wash Cliffs in Mojave County, Arizona. It is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world. The Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919. It was the seventeenth national park in the United States and one of the most spectacular landscapes on our planet. American Indians have lived in or around the canyon for thousands of years. The rock layers that make up the canyon walls change color from light brown to gold and from brown to black. The Grand Canyon is a notable feature of Arizona, but why is it so different from most other canyons and valleys and how did it originate? The Grand Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world. It is so vast that various parts of the canyon were formed in different periods of time. What makes the Grand Canyon so spectacular is its length, width and depth. Measured along the river, the canyon is 277 river miles or 443 kilometers long. The Grand Canyon ranges from 600 feet wide to 18 miles at its widest point. Finally, the depth of the Grand Canyon is one mile or 1.6 kilometers. It is carved into a series of elevated plateaus in northern Arizona and was shaped by erosion and the Colorado River. The canyon is unique in both its landscape and the variety of geological features exposed.II. Formation of the Grand CanyonMuch of the Grand Canyon's majesty is the result of erosion. Continuous erosion produces water… in the middle of the paper… a “Paradise”. This was the verdict of John Strong Newberry, physician-naturalist. "To look into the Grand Canyon is to look into a rainbow of stone." Each layer has its own distinct color resulting from the interaction of water and air with the rocks. The Colorado River flows below as it carves out some of the oldest rocks in North America. As the river carves out rocks, it can change its channel and curve in new directions. As permanent as the rocks of the Grand Canyon may seem, these stone monuments are constantly eroding. Water and wind are gradually wearing them down, and the Colorado River will carry away the sediment. The canyon is one of the most spectacular landscapes on our planet. It is a tapestry of history, geology and beauty. Geologists are still studying the canyon's birth and are intrigued by its history and vastness.