A canyon (from Spanish : cañón ; archaic British English spelling: cañon ), gorge or chasm , is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales . Rivers have a natural tendency to cut through underlying surfaces, eventually wearing away rock layers as sediments are removed downstream. A river bed will gradually reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water into which the river drains. The processes of weathering and erosion will form canyons when the river's headwaters and estuary are at significantly different elevations, particularly through regions where softer rock layers are intermingled with harder layers more resistant to weathering.
35-562: The Cataract Gorge is a river gorge in Launceston , Tasmania , Australia , approximately 1.5 km from the city centre. It is one of the region's premier tourist attractions with a Cataract Gorge boat trip leaving from Home Point Parade. It is found at the lower section of the South Esk River . The earliest known European visitor to the site was William Collins , who discovered its entrance in 1804. A pathway, known as
70-433: A swimming pool , the aforementioned chairlift , two cafés , a funicular railway and an open area surrounded by bushland. At the bottom of the funicular railways is a small cottage which contains photographs and paintings of the basin and downriver Gorge. The basin itself has created many of myths about its depth: some locals say it is a bottomless pit; a volcanic plug; or that a submarine sent in to find its bottom during
105-856: A few more remote parts of Australia, including Karijini National Park and the Bungle Bungles in Purnululu National Park , both in Western Australia , and Carnarvon Gorge in Queensland . Southern Utah has the densest population of slot canyons in the world with over one thousand slot canyons in the desert lands south of Interstate 70 . Utah's slot canyons are found in Zion National Park at The Narrows , along Canyonlands National Park 's Joint Trail , throughout Capitol Reef National Park , within
140-675: A flash flood. On August 12, 1997, eleven tourists, seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood. Very little rain fell at the site that day, but an earlier thunderstorm had dumped a large amount of water into the canyon basin, seven miles upstream. The lone survivor of the flood was tour guide Francisco "Poncho" Quintana, who had prior swift-water training. At
175-595: A map, while the fourth is flooded by Lake Trevallyn. At the lower end of the gorge, the South Esk spills into the Tamar River going under King's Bridge and Paterson Bridge which was built more recently. King's Bridge was the only bridge leading north out of the city for nearly 100 years. The Paterson Bridge was officially opened on November 2, 1973. This section of river is a well recognised section of whitewater. It provides world class kayaking. An inaugural race
210-461: A total span of 457 m (1,499 ft). In the past, there was a power station at Duck Reach , about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) from a suspension bridge which was built in 1904. It was washed away in the floods of 1929, rebuilt and then decommissioned when the Trevallyn Dam was finished in 1955. The building is now an interpretive museum. The First Basin on the southern side features
245-535: A very small number of streams will form slot canyons due to a combination of the particular characteristics of the rock and regional rainfall. Slot canyons are found in many parts of the world, predominantly in areas with low rainfall. Some of the best-known slot canyons are to be found in the Southwestern United States . Other significant areas include the Sierra de Guara in northern Spain ,
280-1066: Is a spectacular slot canyon in the Teplice Mountains called Little Siberia due to the microclimate, which is several degrees colder than the surrounding area. The canyons in Teplice are surrounded by pillar-like rock formations which resemble various animals and were the site where The Chronicles of Narnia were filmed. Slot canyons can have hazards such as falling rocks, unsteady terrain, narrow slots, slippery surfaces, blockages, steep descents and ascents, potholes, whirlpools (siphons), cold water, duckunders, long swims, fast flowing water, and flash floods. The consequences of falling victim to these hazards can be exacerbated by difficulties or dangers for rescue teams accessing canyons or canyon regions. Notable incidents have occurred in slot canyons due to hazardous water conditions, particularly dangerous flash flooding caused by local as well as distant storms. Hikers should not enter slot canyons if there
315-579: Is actually 1 km wider than the Grand Canyon, making it the widest canyon in the world. Some canyons have notable cultural significance. Evidence of archaic humans has been discovered in Africa's Olduvai Gorge . In the southwestern United States, canyons are important archeologically because of the many cliff-dwellings built in such areas, largely by the ancient Pueblo people who were their first inhabitants. The following list contains only
350-572: Is any sign of rain in the surrounding area. In many slot canyons, it can be miles before a safe exit or rescue is possible. Fatalities have occurred in Australia's Blue Mountains due to flash flooding or hazardous water conditions. Drowning deaths have been recorded in Claustral Canyon, Bowen Creek North Canyon, Empress Canyon, Arethusa Canyon and Wollangambe Canyon. On the 31st of January 1982, three people died in Claustral Canyon due to
385-657: Is especially used in the semiarid southwestern United States and particularly the Colorado Plateau . Slot canyons are subject to flash flooding and commonly contain unique ecological communities that are distinct from the adjacent, drier uplands. Some slot canyons can measure less than 1 metre (3 ft) across at the top but drop more than 30 metres (100 ft) to the floor of the canyon. Many slot canyons are formed in sandstone and limestone rock, although slot canyons in other rock types such as granite and basalt are possible. Even in sandstone and limestone, only
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#1732775822023420-676: Is occasionally used in the United Kingdom . In South Africa, kloof (in Krantzkloof Nature Reserve ) is used along with canyon (as in Blyde River Canyon ) and gorge (in Oribi Gorge ). Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau or table-land level. The cliffs form because harder rock strata that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on
455-599: Is similarly imprecise, especially if one includes mountain canyons, as well as canyons cut through relatively flat plateaus (which have a somewhat well-defined rim elevation). The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon (or Tsangpo Canyon), along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet , is regarded by some as the deepest canyon on Earth at 5,500 metres (18,000 ft). It is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon in
490-598: Is soluble to a certain extent, cave systems form in the rock. When a cave system collapses, a canyon is left, as in the Mendip Hills in Somerset and Yorkshire Dales in Yorkshire , England. A box canyon is a small canyon that is generally shorter and narrower than a river canyon, with steep walls on three sides, allowing access and egress only through the mouth of the canyon. Box canyons were frequently used in
525-587: Is the Fish River Canyon in Namibia . In August 2013, the discovery of Greenland 's Grand Canyon was reported, based on the analysis of data from Operation IceBridge . It is located under an ice sheet. At 750 kilometres (470 mi) long, it is believed to be the longest canyon in the world. Despite not being quite as deep or long as the Grand Canyon, the Capertee Valley in Australia
560-953: Is usually scheduled in late January, thanks to Hydro Tasmania. Canyon A canyon may also refer to a rift between two mountain peaks, such as those in ranges including the Rocky Mountains , the Alps , the Himalayas or the Andes . Usually, a river or stream carves out such splits between mountains. Examples of mountain-type canyons are Provo Canyon in Utah or Yosemite Valley in California's Sierra Nevada . Canyons within mountains, or gorges that have an opening on only one side, are called box canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow canyons that often have smooth walls. Steep-sided valleys in
595-688: The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness . Northern Arizona also has a high concentration of slot canyons including Antelope Canyon and Secret Canyon, which are two of the most famous slot canyons located near Page on land owned by the Navajo Nation . Slot canyons are also located in the valley between U.S. Route 89 and the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona, and can be seen as one descends into
630-616: The Pyrenees on the border of France and Spain, and the Blue Mountains in New South Wales , Australia . The largest known area of slot canyons in Australia (containing over 900) is in the Blue Mountains , west of Sydney . They occur in a narrow band of sandstone that runs roughly 30 kilometres (19 mi) from east to west, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from south to north. The majority of these canyons are in
665-735: The San Rafael Swell and the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument , especially along the Escalante River drainage including Coyote Gulch . Many more slot canyons are located on public Bureau of Land Management and state-owned lands in southern Utah, in areas surrounding the aforementioned parks and monuments. Buckskin Gulch —one of the longest slot canyons in the world—begins in southern Utah and continues into northern Arizona within
700-461: The United States , place names generally use canyon in the southwest (due to their proximity to Spanish-speaking Mexico ) and gorge in the northeast (which is closer to French Canada ), with the rest of the country graduating between these two according to geography. In Canada , a gorge is usually narrow while a ravine is more open and often wooded. The military-derived word defile
735-524: The Wollemi Wilderness , and are difficult to access. Many canyons within the Wollemi Wilderness have yet to be explored by humans. A small number are regularly visited by canyoners on weekends in summer with those closest to Katoomba being the most frequently visited. The Grand Canyon, near Blackheath, has a tourist track along its rim, but requires abseiling (rappelling) or swimming to visit fully. Sandstone slot canyons can also be found in
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#1732775822023770-642: The seabed of the continental slope are referred to as submarine canyons . Unlike canyons on land, submarine canyons are thought to be formed by turbidity currents and landslides . The word canyon is Spanish in origin ( cañón , pronounced [kaˈɲon] ), with the same meaning. The word canyon is generally used in North America , while the words gorge and ravine (French in origin) are used in Europe and Oceania , though gorge and ravine are also used in some parts of North America. In
805-460: The western United States as convenient corrals, with their entrances fenced. The definition of "largest canyon" is imprecise, because a canyon can be large by its depth, its length, or the total area of the canyon system. Also, the inaccessibility of the major canyons in the Himalaya contributes to their not being regarded as candidates for the biggest canyon. The definition of "deepest canyon"
840-585: The 1960s ran out cable before accomplishing this feat. In fact, the basin was formed by erosion at the intersection of two faults - the Basin Road Fault and an un-named fault approximately at right angles which the South Esk is following. Where the two faults meet, the Dolerite rock is badly shattered and hence more easily eroded, giving rise to the formation of the basin. Measurements in 2016 found
875-609: The King’s Bridge-Cataract Walk, and originally built by volunteers in the 1890s, runs along the north bank of the Cataract Gorge, and is a popular tourist destination. The original toll house at which pedestrians had to pay to enter the walk can still be seen near King's Bridge on the northern edge of the gorge. The chairlift is the longest single-span chairlift in the world, with the longest span being 308 m (1,010 ft). The chairlift, built in 1972, has
910-533: The United States, with an average depth of 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and a volume of 4.17 trillion cubic metres (147 trillion cubic feet), is one of the world's largest canyons. It was among the 28 finalists of the New 7 Wonders of Nature worldwide poll. (Some referred to it as one of the seven natural wonders of the world .) The largest canyon in Europe is Tara River Canyon . The largest canyon in Africa
945-627: The United States. Others consider the Kali Gandaki Gorge in midwest Nepal to be the deepest canyon, with a 6,400-metre (21,000 ft) difference between the level of the river and the peaks surrounding it. Vying for the deepest canyon in the Americas is the Cotahuasi Canyon and Colca Canyon , in southern Peru. Both have been measured at over 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) deep. The Grand Canyon of northern Arizona in
980-746: The canyon walls, in a process known as frost wedging. Canyon walls are often formed of resistant sandstones or granite . Sometimes large rivers run through canyons as the result of gradual geological uplift. These are called entrenched rivers , because they are unable to easily alter their course. In the United States, the Colorado River in the Southwest and the Snake River in the Northwest are two examples of tectonic uplift . Canyons often form in areas of limestone rock. As limestone
1015-467: The largest hydro-electric scheme of its day. By 1895 it was lighting the city. Other activities include boat cruise through the accessible section of river, cable hang gliding experience that soars for 200 metres from a cliff top and rock climbing. Prior to the development of the Trevallyn Dam there were three lesser basins upstream of the "First Basin", with the second and third still visible on
1050-526: The maximum depth is 20.5 metres (67 ft). The northern side, named the Cliff Grounds, is a landscaped Victorian garden containing ferns, exotic plants and peacocks. It is now provided with facilities for visitors. Further upstream is the historic Duck Reach Power Station, now an Interpretation Centre. The Launceston City Council originally commissioned the Power Station in 1893, making it
1085-558: The most notable canyons of the world, grouped by region. Venus has many craters and canyons on its surface. The troughs on the planet are part of a system of canyons that is more than 6,400 km long. [REDACTED] Environment portal Slot canyon A slot canyon is a long, narrow channel or drainageway with sheer rock walls that are typically eroded into either sandstone or other sedimentary rock . A slot canyon has depth-to-width ratios that typically exceed 10:1 over most of its length and can approach 100:1. The term
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1120-489: The time, the ladder system consisted of amateur-built wood ladders that were swept away by the flash flood. Today, ladder systems have been bolted in place, and deployable cargo nets are installed at the top of the canyon. A NOAA Weather Radio from the National Weather Service and an alarm horn are stationed at the fee booth. On July 15, 2021, a Michigan woman died in a flash flood that swept through
1155-624: The valley on U.S. 89, but these are on the Navajo reservation and are closed to the public. In New Mexico , Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument 's Slot Canyon Trail is unique as it was carved into tuff (volcanic ash). Many more can be found elsewhere on the Pajarito Plateau in the tuff cliffs between the potreros . There are also large concentrations in the basalt mesas surrounding Mt. Taylor , northwest of Grants , and also near Brimhall Nizhoni . The Plaza Blanca Slot Canyon in
1190-456: The valley walls. Canyons are much more common in arid areas than in wet areas because physical weathering has a more localized effect in arid zones. The wind and water from the river combine to erode and cut away less resistant materials such as shales . The freezing and expansion of water also serves to help form canyons. Water seeps into cracks between the rocks and freezes, pushing the rocks apart and eventually causing large chunks to break off
1225-752: The white cliffs of the Abiquiu Formation near the town of Abiquiu was the inspiration of some of Georgia O'Keeffe 's paintings. In California , several slot canyons are located within Death Valley National Park . There are a number of slot canyons in Spain, especially in the arid foothills of the Pyrenees, such as on the Balcez river. There is an extensive tourism industry built around canyoning in this region. In Czechia, there
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