Why are there layers on the walls of the Grand Canyon?

Over time, pressure increases as sediment increases, and minerals help form these rock layers. Metamorphic rocks are formed when sedimentary or igneous rocks change due to exposure to heat and/or pressure.



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Most of the Colorado Plateau was uplifted relatively evenly, keeping the layers roughly horizontal, creating the layer cake appearance common throughout the region (such as at the Grand Canyon).

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From the top of the Seven Devils Mountains to the deepest part of the Snake River, Hells Canyon is nearly 8,000 feet deep. That's almost 2,000 feet deeper than the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona.

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Impress Your Friends With These Fun Facts!*
  • We don't really know how old it is. ...
  • Grand Canyon creates its own weather! ...
  • There are no dinosaur bones in the canyon. ...
  • But there are lots of other fossils in the area. ...
  • There's a town down in the canyon. ...
  • We're missing 950 million years worth of rocks!


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Keep the Canyon Grand Uranium mining risks contamination of precious water sources, and proposed developments threaten the natural, cultural, and scenic values of the canyon. We address these issues head-on, protecting the Grand Canyon — the heart of the Colorado Plateau — for future generations.

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The composition (sandstone) and presence of stromatolites indicate that this area was previously a very shallow sea. The rock layers in the Grand Canyon Supergroup have been tilted, whereas the other rocks above this set are horizontal.

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Only a mile a deep, Grand Canyon is not the deepest in the world. For example, the Washington's Colombia River Gorge measures over a mile and a half in depth. Though not the deepest, Grand Canyon remains an incredibly impressive natural landform.

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Nestled along the Idaho and Oregon border lies one of the greatest natural wonders in North America: Hells Canyon. Carved by the Snake River, the gorge is ten miles wide and plunges 7,913 feet. That's 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon – making it the deepest river gorge in North America.

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Known as the deepest gorge in the world, Kali Gandaki Gorge is estimated to be roughly 6,000 meters deep but the very bottom still has yet to be confirmed, while the mountains surrounding it reach an ultimate height of almost 6,000 meters (18,000 feet).

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