How the Grand Canyon Was Carved

The Grand Canyon exposes nearly two billion years of geological history. It's a steep-sided canyon.

It stretches 277 miles long and reaches up to 18 miles wide.

The oldest visible rock is the two-billion-year-old Vishnu Schist. The youngest rim layer is 270-million-year-old Kaibab Limestone.

Between 1.75 billion and 1.25 billion years ago, no deposits exist.

Missing rock covers half a billion years.

About 65 million years ago, the Colorado Plateau rose 5,000 to 10,000 feet.

Recent studies suggest the Colorado River established its course 5 to 6 million years ago. Older segments formed 70 million years ago.

Between 100,000 and 3 million years ago, volcanic activity deposited ash and lava. These are the youngest rocks in the canyon.