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Period: 1 BCE to 3
Grand Canyon Geological Timeline
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1 CE
Early Life (2 Billion Years)
The Grand Canyon started to form when two plates of Earth’s crust collided. When they collided, rows of the volcanic islands smashed together and merged. The rocks transformed into the dark-colored bottom rocks seen near the bottom of the canyon due to the extreme heat and pressure. -
2
Middle Stages (70-30 Million Years Ago)
The Colorado became flat and very high through the actions of the tectonic plates uplifting the land. -
3
Recent Years (5-6 million years)
The Grand Canyon started to widen due to the Colorado River carving downward into it.