GEOS 102 Web Exercise 1 - The GC

Go to http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_layer.htm#rocks, read the appropriate page and answer the following questions:

1. Why does the Tonto Group get older to the west of the Grand Canyon?

2. Why is the Redwall Limestone red?

3. What sorts of environments are preserved within the Coconino Sandstone, and what was the prevailing wind direction during that time?

4. What are the components of the limestones in the Toroweap and Kaibab Formations? Also, why is the Kaibab so resistant to erosion?

5. What are the differences between the rocks in the canyon that are cliff formers, and the ones that are slopes in the Grand Canyon?

Go to http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology/gc_geol.htm, read the appropriate page, and answer the following questions:

6. Where are the headwaters of the Colorado River and where is its mouth?

7. Besides the action of the river itself, what other forces of erosion are actively carving the Grand Canyon?

8. Why has the down-cutting in the channel of the Colorado River in the GC slowed?

9. How do we know that rocks like the Kaibab Limestone are marine in origin?

10. What event 17 Ma had an influence on the Colorado River in the GC area?

11. What happened 5 Ma that influenced the course of the Colorado River?

Go to http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/arches_strat.htm, read the appropriate pages, and answer the following questions:

12. How do the ages of the rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon compare to those exposed in Arches National Park?

Go to http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/lakemead_strat.htm

13. How are the Cambrian rocks in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area compare to those in the Grand Canyon, and what does this suggest about environments to the west of the Grand Canyon during the Cambrian?

Go to http://www.nps.gov/grca/, read the appropriate pages, and answer the following questions:

14. What types of organisms comprise the majority of species on the endangered species list from the Grand Canyon area?

15. What are the animals that visitors should be cautious around during the Fall in the Grand Canyon, and Why?