Layers in Time
Layers in Time
By studying geology we
learn about the Earths history and how places change over time.
What plants or animals lived in your town 150 million years ago?
The ancient remains of plants and animals preserved in the rock,
called fossils, tell stories about the past. Take a look at the chart of
common fossils at Grand Canyon on the back page.
Think About It
THE OLDEST PANCAKE IN A
STACK IS ALWAYS AT THE
BOTTOM. THE ROCKS AT
GRAND CANYON ARE A LOT
LIKE PANCAKES. WHERE
DO YOU FIND THE OLDEST
ROCKS AT GRAND CANYON?
Vocabulary:
Fossils: the hardened
remains or imprints of plants
or animals preserved in rock
Geology: the study of the
origin, history and structure
of the earth
Rocks come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. They can be very different, but to make sense of what is
around us, geologists put rocks in groups according to how they form. The three families of rock are:
igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Natural forces create and destroy rock, changing them
over time in the rock cycle.
Igneous rocks
are formed
when rock is
super-heated and
becomes molten
(liquid). There are two kinds of
molten rock: magma (found
beneath the Earths surface) and
lava (found on the Earths
surface). The molten rock cools
and hardens on or beneath the
Earths surface forming a variety
of igneous rock. Two examples
are granite and basalt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Precambrian Basement Rocks
Zoroaster Granite
The basement rock formed 1.8 billion years
Vishnu Schist
ago when the North American continent
collided with an ancient chain of volcanic
islands, much like todays Hawaiian Islands.
Intense heat and pressure from the collision
formed rock called Vishnu Schist. From deep
under the earths surface, molten rock flowed
up as magma between the cracks of the Vishnu
Schist. As the flowing magma cooled and
hardened, it formed veins of pinkish rock
called Zoroaster Granite. Because of the
extreme heat and pressure that folded and changed the rock, any fossils in the original rock were
destroyed.
Circle which rock family(ies) these rocks belong to : Sedimentary
Igneous Metamorphic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bright Angel Shale
If you came to Grand Canyon area 515 million years ago when the
Bright Angel Shale was forming, everything was covered by a very
muddy, warm, shallow sea. Trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids and
worm-like creatures that burrowed in the sea-floor thrived in the
nutrient-rich water. This greenish-colored shale forms the broad, flat
area known as the Tonto Platform in Grand Canyon.
Rock Family:
Sedimentary
Igneous
Metamorphic
Hermit Shale
Are you ready to go wading through the mud? About 280
million years ago the Grand Canyon area was covered by a
broad coastal plain that had many slowly meandering
streams. The environment was excellent habitat for an
abundance of ferns and conifers, along with reptiles and
insects, including dragonflies with 12-inch wingspans.
This layer consists of siltstones, mudstones, and fine
Hermit Shale
grained sandstones rich in iron that create a gentle, red slope
in most parts of Grand Canyon National Park.
Rock Family:
Sedimentary
Igneous
Metamorphic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coconino Sandstone
Coconino Sandstone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaibab Limestone
Kaibab Limestone
About 270 million years ago North America was the western
part of the super-continent Pangaea. The Grand Canyon region
was once again covered by a shallow, warm, and well-lit clear
sea with a sandy/muddy floor. Brachiopods, sponges, and
other sea creatures dominated these waters. Other species included crinoids, corals, bryozoans, cephalopods, sharks and
fish. This limestone is the youngest, and therefore the topmost, rock layer found at Grand Canyon National Park.
Rock Family:
Sedimentary
Igneous
Metamorphic
Here are some of the more common fossils found in the sedimentary
rock layers of Grand Canyon.
Brachiopods A variety of
shells lived in clear ocean
waters.
Burrows of animals
Worms and trilobites dug
tunnels in the soft muddy
sediment under the sea
floor.
Cephalopods These
creatures roamed the sea
and are related to the
squid in todays oceans.
Trilobites These
segmented animals
vary in size from that
of a dime to a dinner
plate.