That Rocks!

Early Morning Light Hitting the Grand Canyon @ South Kaibab Trail, 

Grand Canyon National Park

"That rocks!"- a comment left by my beautiful friend, Jo, when I shared the above photo in my Facebook Photos. Indeed, rocks rock! We all know that rocks give us a window to our geological past. Rock layers offer clues about Earth's conditions when the layers were formed. 

Snaking South Kaibab Trail and Snaking Colorado River That Carved the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River Rocks!

The Grand Canyon is a world-renowned geological showcase. Its geology exposes one of the most studied sequences of rock on Earth. 

Rocks @ The Canyon Floor

The Grand Canyon story began about 2 billion years ago when igneous and metamorphic rocks were formed. Then, layer upon layer of sedimentary rocks were laid on top of these basement rocks which were then underneath the ocean. The uplifting of the Colorado Plateau brought the uppermost layer now at about 9,000 ft above sea level. Uplifting usually deform rocks, but what is puzzling with Grand Canyon is that the Grand Canyon was uplifted neatly, high and flat. 

Uplifted 5000- 9000 ft above sea level, high and flat!

The formation of the Grand Canyon was the result of the Colorado River carving its way downward, weathering and erosion. 

Boat Beach @ Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park

The study of rocks, fossils, and other natural evidences are very helpful in understanding the history of Earth. I love a hike that has lots of rocks for me to wonder. 

Can You Spot Me @ the lower O of the Double O Arch?, Arches National Park

Rocks always bring me into thinking and asking mode. What type are they? How were they formed? What do their history reveal?.....

There are other world famous rocks that I hope to see someday. Two of these world famous rocks I would love to experience someday is in Australia. Who knows, some day, I may be able to find last minute flights and last minute accommodation where the travel expense would not be as hard on the budget, and you will find me next in Australia, surfing in the Wave Rock. Have you heard about the Wave Rock? What really teases my fantasy to experience this rock one day is that it exactly looks like an ocean wave, 47 ft high and 350 ft long. Just like the ocean waves, the Wave rock appears to crash anytime, but then, unlike ocean wave, it is frozen in time. Similar to Grand Canyon, the Wave Rock was formed  a few million years ago (2.7M). But just like Grand Canyon, the rocks are ancient. The age of Wave Rock goes back farther in time, at 2.6 billion years. The Wave rock is in Western Australia, in the town of Hyden, about 296 km east-southeast of Perth.  Right now, it is a fantasy to experience the wave action in Wave Rock. But then I am very open to possibilities of finding cheap flights and accommodations. Cheap holidays, now, that really rocks!

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