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89-813: Kaibab National Forest ( / ˈ k aɪ b æ b / , KY -bab ) borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon , in north-central Arizona . Its 1.6 million acres (650,000 ha) is divided into three sections: the North Kaibab Ranger District (offices in Fredonia ), the Tusayan Ranger District (offices in the Grand Canyon ), and the Williams Ranger District (offices in Williams ). It

178-537: A sipapu . In September 1540, under orders from the conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola , Captain García López de Cárdenas , along with Hopi guides and a small group of Spanish soldiers, traveled to the south rim of the Grand Canyon between Desert View and Moran Point. Pablo de Melgrossa, Juan Galeras, and a third soldier descended some one third of

267-441: A Notice of Intent to suspend approvals for new uranium mining in the area. In 2012, Salazar established a 20-year moratorium (known as the "Northern Arizona Withdrawal") withdrawing 1 million acres (4,000 km ) from the permitting process for uranium and hardrock mining, stating "People from all over the country and around the world come to visit the Grand Canyon. Numerous American Indian tribes regard this magnificent icon as

356-439: A band of Native Americans to Christianity. He described the canyon as "profound". James Ohio Pattie, along with a group of American trappers and mountain men, may have been the next European to reach the canyon, in 1826. Jacob Hamblin , a Mormon missionary, was sent by Brigham Young in the 1850s to locate suitable river crossing sites in the canyon. Building good relations with local Hualapai and white settlers, he reached

445-405: A community) was first made by Jules Thurmann (1849). Prior to this, the two terms (vegetation and flora) were used indiscriminately, and still are in some contexts. Augustin de Candolle (1820) also made a similar distinction but he used the terms "station" ( habitat type) and "habitation" ( botanical region ). Later, the concept of vegetation would influence the usage of the term biome with

534-715: A dense barrier. Groundwater from the C-acquifer can flow laterally, appearing as seeps along the canyon walls at the base of the Coconino Sandstone but can also descend vertically through fault zones to recharge the underlying confined R-aquifer. The R-aquifer, also known as the Red Wall Muav aquifer, is a karst aquifer. It involves an area of substantial fracturing through the Redwall Limestone, Temple Butte Formation and Cambrian Muav Limestone of

623-542: A group of Spanish soldiers, explored southern Utah and traveled along the north rim of the canyon in Glen and Marble Canyons in search of a route from Santa Fe to California in 1776. They eventually found a crossing, formerly known as the "Crossing of the Fathers", that today lies under Lake Powell . Also in 1776, Fray Francisco Garces, a Franciscan missionary, spent a week near Havasupai unsuccessfully attempting to convert

712-527: A regular and recurring part of the long-term system dynamic. Fire and wind disturbances are prevalent throughout many vegetation types worldwide. Fire is particularly potent because of its ability to destroy not only living plants but also the seeds, spores, and living meristems representing the potential next generation, and because of fire's impact on fauna populations, soil characteristics and other ecosystem elements and processes (for further discussion of this topic see fire ecology ). Temporal change at

801-566: A result the team eventually had to subsist on starvation rations. Passing through (or portaging around) a series of dangerous rapids, the group passed down the Green River , reaching its confluence with the Colorado River, near present-day Moab, Utah , on July 17. Continuing on down the Colorado River, the party encountered more rapids and falls. On August 28, 1869, faced with what some felt to be impassable rapids, three men left

890-513: A sacred place and millions of people in the Colorado River Basin depend on the river for drinking water, irrigation, industrial and environmental use." However, Salazar's 20-year moratorium on new mines still allows mines with previous authorization to operate. Multiple challenges have been brought into court both against the moratorium and against the operation of uranium mines in the area. The federal government's 2012 moratorium

979-720: A similar source to the Havasu Spring upwelling from the Redwall-Muav aquifer. Sites with younger estimated mean ages tend to be associated with the unconfined Coconino aquifer. They may recharge quickly as a result of snowmelt, run-off and local precipitation. It is likely that the deeper confined R-aquifer relies primarily on snowmelt from the San Francisco Peaks to recharge. Other research has tried to relate groundwater flow paths to possible levels of risk for contamination and identify vulnerability regions for

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1068-507: A slower pace is ubiquitous; it comprises the ecological succession field. Succession is the relatively gradual structure and taxonomic composition change that arises as the vegetation modifies various environmental variables over time, including light, water, and nutrient levels. These modifications change the suite of species most adapted to grow, survive, and reproduce in an area, causing floristic changes. These floristic changes contribute to structural changes inherent in plant growth even in

1157-515: A substantial departure from prior widely supported scientific consensus. In a 2008 study, Victor Polyak examined caves near the Grand Canyon and placed their origins about 17   million years ago. The study, which was published in the journal Science in 2008, used uranium-lead dating to analyze calcite deposits found on the walls of nine caves throughout the canyon. In another 2008 study, Rebecca Flowers reported on apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry results suggesting that parts of

1246-589: A time the only record concerning this rather mythical locality, was rather magnified than detracted from by the accounts of one or two trappers, who professed to have seen the cañon". According to the San Francisco Herald , in a series of articles run in 1853, Captain Joseph R. Walker in January 1851 with his nephew James T. Walker and six men, traveled up the Colorado River to a point where it joined

1335-577: A type often described as Continental climate . There are two weather stations in this area: Jacob Lake, which is near the center of the plateau, and Bright Angel Ranger Station, which is located at a more southerly location and is higher in altitude. The higher altitude is reflected in Bright Angel's lower temperatures and increased precipitation versus Jacob Lake. Using the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm between temperate and continental climates preferred by some climatologists, Bright Angel Ranger Station

1424-728: A variety of hawks . Bats also occupy the park. There are four designated wilderness areas in the Kaibab National Forest. Two in the North Kaibab Ranger District and two in the Williams Ranger District. The historic Spring Valley Cabin, near Parks, Arizona in the Williams Ranger District, is available for rentals through the "Rooms with a View" Arizona Cabin Rental Program. The cabin was built in 1917. It served as

1513-702: A wide area stretching from the San Francisco Peaks eastwards towards the Four Corners. Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests the Navajo descended from the Athabaskan people near Great Slave Lake , Canada, who migrated after the 11th   century. In the mythology of some Third Mesa Hopi communities, the Grand Canyon was the location humankind arose out of the Third World from

1602-721: Is Dsb , the dry-summer version of the warm summer humid continental climate . The North Kaibab is unusual for either a Csb or Dsb climate, featuring lower precipitation in early summer, with July and August being wetter (courtesy of the North American Monsoon ). This is followed by a slightly drier period during the autumn months, and then a wetter period from December to March. Summers in this area feature warm days and cool nights. Winters are chilly, especially at night, and snowy. Jacob Lake averages 105 inches (270 cm) of snow per annum, and Bright Angel Ranger Station 135 inches (340 cm). The South Kaibab includes

1691-775: Is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona , United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park , the Kaibab National Forest , Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument , the Hualapai Indian Reservation ,

1780-574: Is called a confined aquifer, while water below the surface and above an aquitard is called an unconfined aquifer. The different geologic levels of the Grand Canyon have created two major aquifers where groundwater collects. The higher C-aquifer is an unconfined aquifer. It collects groundwater that seeps through the Kaibab and Toroweap Formations into the Coconino Sandstone. Below it, the Permian Hermit Formation and Supai Group provide

1869-483: Is defined by characteristic dominant species, or a common aspect of the assemblage, such as an elevation range or environmental commonality. The contemporary use of vegetation approximates that of ecologist Frederic Clements' term earth cover , an expression still used by the Bureau of Land Management . The distinction between vegetation (the general appearance of a community) and flora (the taxonomic composition of

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1958-495: Is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are well preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent. Uplift associated with mountain formation later moved these sediments thousands of feet upward and created

2047-626: Is managed by the United States Forest Service . Grand Canyon National Park separates the North Kaibab and the South Kaibab (Tusayan and Williams). The South Kaibab covers 1,422 square miles (3,680 km) and the North Kaibab stretches over 1,010 square miles (2,600 km). Elevations vary on the forest from 5,500 feet (1,676 m) in the southwest corner to 10,418 feet (3,175 m) at the summit of Kendrick Peak on

2136-629: The Boone and Crockett Club helped form the National Parks Association , which in turn lobbied for the Antiquities Act of 1906 which gave Roosevelt the power to create national monuments. Once the act was passed, Roosevelt immediately added adjacent national forest lands and redesignated the preserve a U.S. National Monument on January 11, 1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked efforts to reclassify

2225-472: The Crossing of the Fathers , crossed the location that would become Lees Ferry on a raft in 1858 and Pearce Ferry (later operated by, and named for, Harrison Pearce ). He also acted as an advisor to John Wesley Powell , before his second expedition to the Grand Canyon, serving as a diplomat between Powell and the local native tribes to ensure the safety of his party. In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale

2314-695: The EPA ' s Maximum Contaminant Level for drinking water, 30 μg/L. At 86% of sites, uranium concentrations were below the Canadian level for protection of freshwater aquatic life, 15 μg/L. On August 8, 2023, it was announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will designate Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, a move aimed at conserving nearly 1 million acres of greater Grand Canyon landscape. Vegetation The vegetation type

2403-705: The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), and originally developed by UNESCO and The Nature Conservancy ), the classification is hierarchical and incorporates the non-floristic criteria into the upper (most general) five levels and limited floristic criteria only into the lower (most specific) two levels. In Europe, classification often relies much more heavily, sometimes entirely, on floristic (species) composition alone, without explicit reference to climate, phenology or growth forms. It often emphasizes indicator or diagnostic species which may distinguish one classification from another. In

2492-643: The Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation . The surrounding area is contained within the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument . President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of the preservation of the Grand Canyon area and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as

2581-477: The National Register of Historic Places . Hull Cabin is also available for rentals through the "Rooms with a View" program. A three-acre fishing facility, Perkins Tank is a blue ribbon trout fishing area. The tank was recently drained because of illegal green sunfish stocking. [REDACTED] Media related to Kaibab National Forest at Wikimedia Commons Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon

2670-618: The Pecos Classification , suggests their emergence was around 1200  BCE during the Basketmaker II Era . Beginning with the earliest explorations and excavations, researchers have believed that the Ancestral Puebloans are ancestors of the modern Pueblo peoples . In addition to the Ancestral Puebloans, a number of distinct cultures have inhabited the Grand Canyon area. The Cohonina lived to

2759-485: The elevation summary of the Colorado River for present conditions). Weather conditions during the ice ages also increased the amount of water in the Colorado River drainage system. The ancestral Colorado River responded by cutting its channel faster and deeper. The base level and course of the Colorado River (or its ancestral equivalent) changed 5.3   million years ago when the Gulf of California opened and lowered

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2848-578: The formations were deposited in warm shallow seas, near-shore environments (such as beaches), and swamps as the seashore repeatedly advanced and retreated over the edge of a proto-North America. Major exceptions include the Permian Coconino Sandstone , which contains abundant geological evidence of aeolian sand dune deposition. Several parts of the Supai Group also were deposited in non-marine environments. The great depth of

2937-666: The phytosociological approach in the study of vegetation relies upon a fundamental unit, the plant association , which is defined upon flora. An influential, clear and simple classification scheme for types of vegetation was produced by Wagner & von Sydow (1888). Other important works with a physiognomic approach includes Grisebach (1872), Warming (1895, 1909), Schimper (1898), Tansley and Chipp (1926), Rübel (1930), Burtt Davy (1938), Beard (1944, 1955), André Aubréville (1956, 1957), Trochain (1955, 1957), Küchler (1967), Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois (1967) (see vegetation classification ). There are many approaches for

3026-599: The Big Springs district. The two were combined and the forest area north of the canyon became the North Kaibab Ranger District and the district ranger station moved to Fredonia. The headquarters for the Kaibab National Forest is in Williams , Arizona. The climate of the North Kaibab, which encompasses the Kaibab Plateau , is a snowy highland climate, qualifying as Dsb/Csb under the Köppen climate classification ,

3115-607: The C-aquifer. Much of the water that could potentially recharge the aquifers is likely released as springs rather than reaching the aquifers. Studies of the chemical composition of groundwater at sites across the Grand Canyon region indicate that groundwater contains a fraction of modern water (post-1950), and that many springs have a mix of modern water and older groundwater. Estimated mean ages for South Rim groundwater range from 6 years old (San Francisco Peaks) to nearly 20,000 years old (Bar Four well, Blue Spring). Groundwater age in

3204-583: The Colorado Plateau. The higher elevation has also resulted in greater precipitation in the Colorado River drainage area, but not enough to change the Grand Canyon area from being semi-arid. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau is uneven, and the Kaibab Plateau that the Grand Canyon bisects is over one thousand feet (300 m) higher at the North Rim than at the South Rim. Almost all runoff from

3293-491: The Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted . While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven

3382-477: The Colorado River and the Grand Canyon in the first expedition down the canyon. Powell ordered a shipwright to build four reinforced Whitewall rowboats from Chicago and had them shipped west on the newly completed Continental railroad. He hired nine men, including his brother Walter, and collected provisions for ten months. They set out from Green River, Wyoming , on May 24. On June 7, they lost one of their boats, 1/3 of their food, and other badly-needed supplies: as

3471-648: The Colorado all of the way to the Gulf of California . The Grand Canyon became an official national monument in 1908 and a national park in 1919. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, Roosevelt established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on November 28, 1906. Livestock grazing was reduced, but predators such as mountain lions, eagles, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt along with other members of his conservation group,

3560-590: The Department of Interior started experimenting with “adaptive management” of the Glen Canyon Dam, using a High-Flow Experiment (HFE) water release to shift volumes of sand and monitoring effects such as the dispersal of invasive tamarisk seeds. However, as of 2022, extreme drought has caused water levels in Lake Powell to drop so much that a planned release of water has been delayed, to ensure that

3649-474: The FGDC standard, the hierarchy levels, from most general to most specific, are: system, class, subclass, group, formation, alliance, and association . The lowest level, or association, is thus the most precisely defined, and incorporates the names of the dominant one to three (usually two) species of a type. An example of a vegetation type defined at the level of class might be " Forest, canopy cover > 60% "; at

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3738-720: The Forest Reserve north of the Grand Canyon, including the game preserve, was renamed Kaibab National Forest. In 1919, the National Park was created from the forest service lands surrounding the Grand Canyon. In 1934, the Tusayan National Forest south of the Grand Canyon was consolidated into the Kaibab National Forest, forming the present forest boundaries. Up until 1972, the North Kaibab consisted of two ranger districts, Big Springs and Jacob Lake. The headquarters of each were somewhat remote, particularly

3827-518: The Forest Service had not acted arbitrarily in making its decision. A study examining samples of groundwater from 180 spring sites and 26 wells in the Grand Canyon region has assessed the presence of uranium in groundwater from September 1, 1981, to October 7, 2020. The goal of the study was to establish a baseline assessment of groundwater conditions in the Grand Canyon region. At 95% of sites, maximum observed uranium concentrations were below

3916-423: The Glen Canyon Dam can continue to generate hydropower . Between 2003 and 2011, 2,215 mining claims had been requested that are adjacent to the canyon, including claims for uranium mines. Critics of uranium mining are concerned that uranium will leach into the aquifers feeding the Colorado River and contaminate the water supply for up to 18 million people. In 2009, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar published

4005-623: The Grand Canyon Trust sought to block the reopening of the Pinyon Plain Mine (formerly Canyon Uranium Mine). Activity at the mine had ceased in 1992, ten years prior to the moratorium on new development in 2012. Appellants challenged the U.S. Forest Service's consultation process for approving reopening of the mine. As of February 22, 2022, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the arguments in No. 20-16401, concluding that

4094-500: The Grand Canyon and especially the height of its strata (most of which formed below sea level) can be attributed to 5,000–10,000 feet (1,500–3,000 m) of uplift of the Colorado Plateau, starting about 65   million years ago (during the Laramide orogeny ). This uplift has steepened the stream gradient of the Colorado River and its tributaries, which in turn has increased their speed and thus their ability to cut through rock (see

4183-584: The Grand Canyon and tributary canyons. Springs discharge to the Grand Canyon in areas of lower Paleozoic carbonates, and are associated with geologic faults and fractures. Fractures are believed to provide dominant pathways both for vertical circulation in the Paleozoic section, and for lateral collection and transport of water to springs deep in the canyons. The largest springs discharge from the R-aquifer. A smaller number of springs discharge at lower rates from

4272-425: The Grand Canyon had reached a depth near to the modern depth around 20   million years ago. In a subsequent study published in the journal Science in 2012, she suggested that the western part of the Grand Canyon could be as old as 70   million years. The emerging scientific consensus is that the canyon is made up of multiple segments which formed at different times and eventually connected to become

4361-403: The North Rim (which also gets more rain and snow) flows toward the Grand Canyon, while much of the runoff on the plateau behind the South Rim flows away from the canyon (following the general tilt). The result is deeper and longer tributary washes and canyons on the north side and shorter and steeper side canyons on the south side. Temperatures on the North Rim are generally lower than those on

4450-553: The South Rim because of the greater elevation (averaging 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters above sea level). Heavy rains are common on both rims during the summer months. Access to the North Rim via the primary route leading to the canyon ( State Route 67 ) is limited during the winter season due to road closures. The Grand Canyon is part of the Colorado River basin, which has developed over the past 70   million years. For more than 150 years, scientists have gathered data, proposed new ideas, and debated sometimes contentious theories about

4539-578: The South Rim groundwater system also correlates to longitude, with age increasing from east to west from Red Canyon to Boucher springs. Surprisingly, the Canyon Mine Observation well is more similar to Redwall-Muav aquifer wells (R-aquifer) than to the Coconino C-aquifer. This suggests the possibility of a hydrologic connection or similar recharge sources for that hydrologic position. Old groundwater from Havasupai well may have

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4628-536: The Tonto Group. Five individual systems flow through the R-aquifer and compose the regional groundwater-flow system which drains into the Grand Canyon: Kaibab, Uinkaret-Kanab, Marble-Shinumo, Cataract, and Blue Spring. The flow of groundwater in the Grand Canyon region is influenced in multiple ways by geologic faults and folds . Discharge from the R-aquifer appears as springs and seeps in both

4717-504: The Tusayan Ranger District and the Williams Ranger District. The Tusayan Ranger District is part of Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument . Vegetation in the forest varies by elevation and exposure. Principal tree species are ponderosa pine , Douglas-fir , Engelmann spruce , aspen , blue spruce , oak , pinyon pine , and juniper . Among other things, they enhance

4806-547: The United States. They were the first people known to live in the Grand Canyon area. The cultural group has often been referred to in archaeology as the Anasazi, although the term is not preferred by the modern Puebloan peoples . The word "Anasazi" is Navajo for "enemy ancestors" or "alien ancestors". Archaeologists still debate when this distinct culture emerged. The current consensus, based on terminology defined by

4895-500: The Virgin River and continued east into Arizona, traveling along the Grand Canyon and making short exploratory side trips along the way. Walker is reported to have said he wanted to visit the "Moqui" (Hopi) Indians. who he had met briefly before and found exceptionally interesting. In 1858, John Strong Newberry became probably the first geologist to visit the Grand Canyon. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell set out to explore

4984-510: The Williams Ranger District. The forest as a whole is headquartered in Williams. The Kaibab Plateau is an island surrounded by lower elevations. The plateau, with elevation up to 9,215 feet (2,800 m) is bordered on the south by the Grand Canyon, on the east and the west by tributary canyons of the Colorado River , and on the North by tiers of uplifted cliffs. The North Kaibab Ranger District

5073-428: The absence of species changes (especially where plants have a large maximum size, i.e., trees), causing slow and broadly predictable changes in the vegetation. Succession can be interrupted at any time by disturbance, setting the system back to a previous state or off on another trajectory altogether. Because of this, successional processes may or may not lead to some static, final state . Moreover, accurately predicting

5162-480: The beauty of the landscape, hold soil in place, and provide cover and food for wildlife. As elevation decreases, trees give way to bitterbrush , Gambel oak , sagebrush , and cliffrose . Within the forest, there are irregular areas entirely free of tree growth. Commonly seen large wild animals include Coues white-tailed deer , mule deer , elk , pronghorn , wild turkey and coyote . Cougar , bobcat , and black bear are seen less frequently. Bison that live in

5251-460: The characteristics of such a state, even if it does arise, is not always possible. In short, vegetative communities are subject to many variables that set limits on future conditions' predictability. Generally, the larger an area under consideration, the more likely the vegetation will be heterogeneous. Two main factors are at work. First, the temporal dynamics of disturbance and succession are increasingly unlikely to be in synchrony across any area as

5340-436: The classification of vegetation (physiognomy, flora, ecology, etc.). Much of the work on vegetation classification comes from European and North American ecologists, and they have fundamentally different approaches. In North America, vegetation types are based on a combination of the following criteria: climate pattern, plant habit , phenology and/or growth form, and dominant species. In the current US standard (adopted by

5429-409: The down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon. For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon

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5518-426: The expedition on foot in an attempt to reach a settlement 75 miles (121 km) away. Ironically, the remaining members went safely through the rapids on August 29, 1869, while Seneca Howland, Oramel Howland, and William H. Dunn were murdered. The area through which the three men traveled was marked by tensions between farming and hunting Shivwits and incoming Mormon settlers. Which group was responsible for killing

5607-584: The forest and national park are owned by the state of Arizona that issues hunting permits within the national forest. Bison were introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s as part of a ranching operation to crossbreed them with cattle. Common small animals in Kaibab National Forest include chipmunks , ground squirrels and Abert's squirrels . Less common are porcupines , small lizards , and rattlesnakes . Most common birds are bluebirds , robins , Steller's jays , nuthatches , flickers and other woodpeckers , crows , various hummingbirds , ravens , and

5696-499: The geologic origins of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Formation of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River may involve a complex history in which multiple factors and geologic processes have interacted over time and in different locations. In the most recent round of "old river" vs. "young river" controversy, researchers have challenged estimates that had placed the age of the canyon at 5–6   million years. The research has aroused considerable controversy because it suggests

5785-455: The inclusion of the animal element. Other concepts similar to vegetation are " physiognomy of vegetation" ( Humboldt , 1805, 1807) and "formation" ( Grisebach , 1838, derived from " Vegetationsform ", Martius , 1824). Departing from Linnean taxonomy , Humboldt established a new science, dividing plant geography between taxonomists who studied plants as taxa and geographers who studied plants as vegetation. The physiognomic approach in

5874-465: The level of a formation as " Winter-rain, broad-leaved, evergreen, sclerophyllous, closed-canopy forest "; at the level of alliance as " Arbutus menziesii forest"; and at the level of association as " Arbutus menziesii-Lithocarpus dense flora forest", referring to Pacific madrone-tanoak forests which occur in California and Oregon, US. In practice, the levels of the alliance and/or an association are

5963-652: The lower end of Black Canyon on March 8, 1858, then continued on by rowboat past the mouth of the Virgin River after the Explorer struck a rock. Ives led his party east into the canyon – they may have been the first Europeans to travel the Diamond Creek drainage. In his "Report Upon the Colorado River of the West" to the Senate in 1861 Ives states that "The marvellous story of Cardinas , that had formed for so long

6052-557: The monument as a U.S. National Park for 11 years. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919. The federal government administrators who manage park resources face many challenges. These include issues related to the recent reintroduction into the wild of the highly endangered California condor , air tour overflight noise levels, water rights and management disputes, and forest fire management. The canyon's ecosystem

6141-458: The most often used, particularly in vegetation mapping, just as the Latin binomial is most often used in discussing particular species in taxonomy and in general communication. Like all biological systems, plant communities are temporally and spatially dynamic; they change at all possible scales. Dynamism in vegetation is defined primarily as changes in species composition and structure. Temporally, many processes or events can cause change, but for

6230-414: The party admitted that he never before saw anything to match or equal this astonishing natural curiosity." Also in 1857, the U.S. War Department asked Lieutenant Joseph Ives to lead an expedition to assess the feasibility of an up-river navigation from the Gulf of California. On December 31, 1857, Ives embarked from the mouth of the Colorado in the stern wheeler steamboat Explorer . His party reached

6319-403: The residence for rangers who worked at the guard station. The bunkhouse was the original office. Located one mile south of the Grand Canyon, Hull Cabin is the oldest surviving historic cabin near the Grand Canyon’s south rim. This rustic cabin was built in 1889 as part of a sheep ranch, and was acquired by the Forest Service in 1907 for use as a ranger station. In 1985, the cabin was listed in

6408-423: The river's base level (its lowest point). This increased the rate of erosion and cut nearly all of the Grand Canyon's current depth by 1.2   million years ago. The terraced walls of the canyon were created by differential erosion . Between 100,000 and 3   million years ago, volcanic activity deposited ash and lava over the area, which at times completely obstructed the river. These volcanic rocks are

6497-636: The sake of simplicity, they can be categorized roughly as abrupt or gradual. Abrupt changes are generally referred to as disturbances ; these include things like wildfires , high winds , landslides , floods , avalanches and the like. Their causes are usually external ( exogenous ) to the community—they are natural processes occurring (mostly) independently of the natural processes of the community (such as germination, growth, death, etc.). Such events can change vegetation structure and composition very quickly and for long periods, and they can do so over large areas. Very few ecosystems are without some disturbance as

6586-594: The second Director of the US Geological Survey (1881–1894). He was the first to use the term "Grand Canyon", in 1871; previously it had been called the "Big Canyon". In 1889, Frank M. Brown wanted to build a railroad along the Colorado River to carry coal. He, his chief engineer Robert Brewster Stanton , and 14 others started to explore the Grand Canyon in poorly designed cedar wood boats, with no life preservers. Brown drowned in an accident near Marble Canyon : Stanton made new boats and proceeded to explore

6675-405: The size of that area increases. Different areas will be at various developmental stages due to other local histories, particularly their times since the last significant disturbance. This fact interacts with inherent environmental variability (e.g., in soils, climate, topography, etc.), also a function of area. Environmental variability constrains the suite of species that can occupy a given area, and

6764-405: The study of vegetation is common among biogeographers working on vegetation on a world scale, or when there is a lack of taxonomic knowledge of someplace (e.g., in the tropics, where biodiversity is commonly high). The concept of " vegetation type " is more ambiguous. The definition of a specific vegetation type may include not only physiognomy but also floristic and habitat aspects. Furthermore,

6853-549: The three men has been hotly debated. Powell himself visited the area the following year, and was told (through a Mormon interpreter) that the Shivwits had mistakenly killed the men, believing them to be prospectors who had murdered an Indian woman. He chose to smoke a peace pipe with them. Powell went on to become the first Director of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution (1879–1902) and

6942-468: The time of the arrival of Europeans in the 16th   century, newer cultures had evolved. The Hualapai inhabit a 100-mile (160 km) stretch along the pine-clad southern side of the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai have been living in the area near Cataract Canyon since the beginning of the 13th   century, occupying an area the size of Delaware . The Southern Paiutes live in what is now southern Utah and northern Arizona. The Navajo , or Diné, live in

7031-683: The two-billion-year-old Vishnu Schist at the bottom of the Inner Gorge to the 270-million-year-old Kaibab Limestone on the Rim. Within that there is a gap, the Great Unconformity , between 1.75   billion and 1.25   billion years ago for which no deposits are present. Then, between 1.25   billion and 730   million years ago, intermittent sediments began to form the Grand Canyon Supergroup . Many of

7120-478: The underlying aquifers. Almost half of the Kaibab plateau's surface was associated with high to very high vulnerability of the unconfined Coconino aquifer (C-aquifer), while about a fifth of the Kaibab Plateau was estimated to be an area of high vulnerability for the Redwall-Muav aquifer (R-aquifer). The Ancestral Puebloans were a Native American culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of

7209-431: The waterway now traversed by the Colorado River. Of the three central segments, the "Hurricane" was formed 50–70   million years ago, and the "Eastern Grand Canyon" was cut 15–25   million years ago. In contrast, the "Marble Canyon" and "Westernmost Grand Canyon" segments at the ends of the canyon were carved in the last five to six million years. The major geologic exposures in the Grand Canyon range in age from

7298-585: The way into the canyon until they were forced to return because of lack of water. In their report, they noted that some of the rocks in the canyon were "bigger than the great tower of Seville, Giralda ". It is speculated that their Hopi guides likely knew routes to the canyon floor, but may have been reluctant to lead the Spanish to the river. No Europeans visited the canyon again for more than two hundred years. Fathers Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante were two Spanish priests who, with

7387-612: The west of the Grand Canyon, between 500 and 1200  CE . The Cohonina were ancestors of the Yuman , Havasupai , and Hualapai peoples who inhabit the area today. The Sinagua were a cultural group occupying an area to the southeast of the Grand Canyon, between the Little Colorado River and the Salt River , between approximately 500 and 1425 CE . The Sinagua may have been ancestors of several Hopi clans. By

7476-591: The youngest in the canyon. Groundwater flow in the Grand Canyon region is an active area of study. Groundwater forms when rain soaks down into the earth and reaches the water table . The composition of the earth in a given area determines its permeability , the ease with which water flows through it. Sand is more permeable than clay. Less permeable rock layers composed of clay can block the passage of water and are known as aquitards . More permeable areas of rock that hold and transport groundwater underground are known as aquifers . An area of water bounded by two aquitards

7565-457: Was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540. The Grand Canyon is a river valley in the Colorado Plateau that exposes uplifted Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata, and it is also one of the six distinct physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau province. Even though it is not the deepest canyon in the world ( Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal is much deeper ), the Grand Canyon

7654-498: Was part of the lands withdrawn from the public domain in 1893 and included in the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve . President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon Game Preserve in 1906. The game preserve which includes 612,736 acres (2,479.65 km) of the Kaibab National Forest, is "set aside for the protection of game animals and birds," and is "to be recognized as a breeding place therefore." in 1908,

7743-476: Was permanently changed after the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. Average flood levels dropped from 85,000 to 8,000 cubic ft/sec. In the absence of natural flooding, sandbars and beaches eroded and invasive species began to displace native species. Federal officials started releasing floods in the Grand Canyon in hopes of restoring its ecosystem beginning with 1996, 2004, and 2008. In 2018,

7832-482: Was superintendent of an expedition to survey a wagon road along the 35th parallel from Fort Defiance, Arizona to the Colorado River. He led a small party of men in search of water on the Coconino Plateau near the canyon's south rim. On September 19, near present-day National Canyon, they came upon what May Humphreys Stacey described in his journal as "a wonderful canyon; four thousand feet deep. Everybody in

7921-592: Was upheld by the U.S. District Court for Arizona in 2014, but appealed in November 2014 as National Mining Association v. Jewell (No. 14-17350). The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals again upheld the moratorium in 2017, stating that the Secretary of the Interior held valid withdrawal authority. Havasupai Tribe v. Provencio was also argued at multiple court levels based on multiple grounds. The Havasupai people and

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