Grand canyon

immense gorge cut by the colorado river into the high plateaus of northwestern arizona, u.s., noted for its fantastic shapes and coloration.

the broad, intricately sculptured chasm of the grand canyon contains between its outer walls a multitude of imposing peaks, buttes, canyons, and ravines. it ranges in width from about 0.1 to 18 miles 0.2 to 29 km and extends in a winding course from the mouth of the paria river, near the northern boundary of arizona, to grand wash cliffs, near the nevada line, a
distance of about 277 miles 446 km. the canyon includes many tributary side canyons and surrounding plateaus. the deepest and most impressively beautiful section, 56 miles 90 km long, is within grand canyon national park, which encompasses the rivers length from lake powell to lake mead. in its general colour, the canyon is red, but each stratum or group of strata has a distinctive hue--buff and gray, delicate green and pink, and, in its depths,...