Practice using commas as you learn fun facts about this stunning national park in Arizona.
W. Tyson Joye/National Park Service (Grand Canyon); Jim McMahon/Mapman ® (Map)
1. A canyon is a deep valley with steep sides and the Grand Canyon is one of the biggest canyons in the world. It’s so big that it could hold water from 1.7 billion Olympic-sized swimming pools!
2. How did the Grand Canyon form? Over millions of years rivers carved this deep valley into the rock. Even today flowing water deepens the canyon by the thickness of a sheet of paper every year.
Shutterstock.com
3. Many different kinds of animals live at the Grand Canyon. What’s one of the most dangerous? It’s the rock squirrel. These critters are known to bite people but we still think they’re pretty cute.
4. When the Grand Canyon was made into a national park in 1919 only about 45,000 people visited it. These days the canyon welcomes more than 5 million visitors every year!
www.ferpectshotz.com/Moment RF/Getty Images (clouds); Shutterstock.com (reddi wip)
5. Once every few years a rare weather pattern occurs. Clouds fill the canyon up to its rim so it looks like it’s filled with whipped cream. Yum!
Shutterstock.com
6. Scientists still have many unanswered questions about the Grand Canyon. For instance they’re wondering how old parts of the canyon are. What questions do you have?
This article was originally published in the December 2022/January 2023 issue.
