Existing comment:
Grand Canyon
3-D Terrain Model
The model on the ceiling above shows the southwestern United States from Las Vegas, Nevada to the Grand Canyon. Carved by the Colorado River, this gorge is considered one of the great natural wonders of the world. Eight million years of erosion, uplift, and material deposits have created a place with steep walls of constantly changing hues and plant life that varies from subtropical at the base to subarctic near the rim.
In 1869, explorer and National Geographic founder John Wesley Powell, at right with a Paiute Indian was the first to lead an expedition through the canyon by boat. The trip, floating 900 miles over three months, was followed by extensive work in the Colorado Plateau where Powell surveyed geography and Native American tribes. The Grand Canyon was designated a national monument in 1908 and later named a national park. |