Elementary

The mind-bending Grand Canyon

By Mark Smith

December 29^th, 2025

Sometimes seeing is not believing.

If you've been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, you know: There is no way to prepare your brain for what you're about to see.

I was still 10 feet from the edge when I shot this photo and said aloud, "HOLY SMOKES!"

Or something like that.

It is beautifully stupendous.

Now there's a word I don't use every day.

Humility is a good thing

Over the next three days on this fall 2025 road trip with Nancy, that sense of astonishment never left me.

Most of the time we were glued to the rim wall. I could feel the canyon's ancient, gigantic presence bending my sense of time and physical dimension.

It was humbling - as it should be. I felt tiny, yet very alive and extremely lucky to be amongst some of the most amazing natural sights I could ever hope to see in my lifetime.

Elements

Why does the Grand Canyon have this affect on me, on us?

It's not only the stunning visuals; it's also because of what happened here, over such a mind-boggling period of time.

Here is a simplified version of how this magnificent canyon came to be, in four phases. Don't worry, the story is short.

And here's what really matters: It's an important piece of the big picture, helping us all to grasp just WHERE - and WHEN - we are spending our lives.

Phases 1 and 2

Phase 1 - Nearly 2 Billion years ago, a base of igneous and metamorphic rock was formed here. (For perspective, Earth itself was in its formative stage about 2.5 Billion years prior to that, along with our Moon - which itself was/is a piece of our Earth that broke off when a gigantic asteroid struck our young planet - and then that stray fragment remained within our gravitational pull.)

Phase 2 - Then each day for about 1.5 Billion years(!), dirt and dust particles carried by wind and rain settled onto this base and eventually hardened into sedimentary rock - building layer upon layer x 1000, differing in color and geological make-up. It's a physical record of the conditions here on Earth.

Enter the dinosaurs

Oh, by the way: While this was happening, dinosaurs came into existence, ruled the planet for about 200 Million years, and suddenly died out - after another massive asteroid struck Earth, causing dirt and debris to block out the Sun and snuff out virtually all life.

Phases 3 and 4 - up to present day

Phase 3 - 50-70 Million years ago, the planet's tectonic plates pushed the entire area upwards, forming the high, flat Colorado Plateau.

Phase 4 - Then comes the canyon itself: Only a mere 5-6 Million years ago - about the same time that our human ancestors emerged - the Colorado River began running down from this plateau, its powerful flow (carrying rocks and boulders) gradually scouring through solid rock and creating a canyon one mile deep and nearly 300 miles long.

Weather, along with the river's tributaries, further widened the canyon and shaped the massive rock structures we see today.

Erosion has never looked so beautiful.

These dramatic processes don't only belong in the past; they're happening as you read this and will continue for billions of years - almost certainly long after the reign of Homo Sapiens has ended.

After all that history, the mere fact that we're even here - now - on this unique blue planet makes our lives all the more extraordinary.

To my eye, this single rock face is as large as Half Dome, which dominates Yosemite Valley.

Shifting shape and color

Especially in the early morning and late afternoon, the brilliant fall sunlight would cast a spotlight onto specific parts of the canyon, while throwing other huge areas into deep shadow.

The varying light would also change the color of the rocks - reds and browns, pinks, purples, and grays - as you stood there watching.

A grand scale

Two photos for size reference: In the shot below you can see Nancy, wearing a grey vest and white hat. I am maybe 300 yards away on another vista.

Check out the geological / weathering action happening off to Nancy's right: Just a few boxcar-sized rocks balanced atop million-year-old columns :-)

And in the photo below, look very closely inside the orange circle: That very tiny dot is the orange shirt of a hiker trekking up from the valley.

Meet the locals

We met up with a family of bighorn sheep - dad, mom, and teenager - who kindly posed for us.

They seemed OK with our presence - and with the thousand-foot drop-off from their rocky perch.

Even the trees are dramatic.

Last word

Grand Canyon National Park is one of America's greatest natural assets. Yet our parks are struggling due to massive budget reductions in 2025 and again in 2026, as dictated by our current president.

Let's hope our future leaders have the vision and the respect for natural history to restore these treasures back to the level of greatness they once held.