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The Grand Canyon | September 25, 2009
Rachel Frank
In 1893 it was declared a forest reserve. And then in 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt declared it a national monument.
Matt Frederick
And then in 1919, the Grand Canyon National Park was established.
Rachel Frank
And a little interesting side note about Teddy Roosevelt, in 1903 he gave a speech at the Grand Canyon. He said, "In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which so far as I know is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to do one thing in connection with it in your own interest, and in the interest of the country – to keep this great wonder of nature as it is now."
Announcer
Welcome to the Coolest Stuff on the Planet.
Rachel Frank
Hey there, everybody. Welcome to the podcast. I’m Rachel.
Matt Frederick
And this is Matthew.
Rachel Frank
And this is the Coolest Stuff on the Planet.
Matt Frederick
This is true.
Rachel Frank
We usually travel around the world, Matt. But today we’re actually staying stateside.
Matt Frederick
That’s correct. We are going to the northwest part of the Arizona, to the Grand Canyon.
Rachel Frank
And the Grand Canyon is probably one of the most famous natural formations in the world. It’s part of the Grand Canyon National Park, and it attracts about five million visitors every year.
Matt Frederick
Yeah, it’s the largest gorge in the world. The Grand Canyon’s geology is a major part of its draw. That’s why I wanted to go. Both for ordinary folks like me and also for scientists – the canyon’s a giant onion.
Rachel Frank
And onion?
Matt Frederick
Yes. Bear with me. Do you know why it’s like an onion?
Rachel Frank
No, I have no idea.
Matt Frederick
Okay. Because it has layers. So erosion has exposed all kinds of old rock. So how old do you think it is?
Rachel Frank
I’m guessing it’s over 40.
Matt Frederick
Yes, it is over 40. It’s two thousand million years old.
Rachel Frank
Which is pretty old. We’re just talking about the oldest rock here. But the canyon itself is not actually as old as the rock. But it’s still pretty old. It’s 5-6 million years old.
Matt Frederick
Wow, that’s ridiculous. The canyon is 277 miles long. Now that’s actually measured by the length of the Colorado River that flows through it. 18 miles wide at the widest and a mile deep in some places.
Rachel Frank
And it’s so big that you can see it from space.
Matt Frederick
Another cool thing about the Grand Canyon is the coloring. It has almost a red-yellow tint to it. The reason it has that is because there are minerals and iron oxides in the stone, the rock, that actually give the canyon walls that color.
Rachel Frank
So kind of like Uluru.
Matt Frederick
Yeah, exactly.
Rachel Frank
Where the rock is rusting, so it’s red.
Matt Frederick
Exactly.
Rachel Frank
Let’s talk a little bit more about the canyon’s history. Let’s talk about how it became part of the national park.
Matt Frederick
Okay, cool.