Earth's upheaval. The Grand Canyon, once towering mountains, has transformed into deep ravines. What caused this dramatic change?

From a geological perspective, the Grand Canyon is remarkably young, yet even within its relatively brief history, it has undergone significant transformation. Billions of years ago, the canyon was not a land of deep ravines — towering mountains once dominated the landscape, as noted by IFLScience.

This mountain range is known as the Vishnu Mountains. Though they no longer rise high, evidence of their existence can still be found in the ancient crystalline rocks at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon. Referred to as the Vishnu Basement Rocks, these formations are among the oldest in the entire structure.

Research indicates that the mountains formed around 1.7 billion years ago due to tectonic plate collisions between the North American Plate and a now-lost oceanic plate — as a result, the Earth's crust was compressed, folded, and pushed upward, creating mountain ranges. These towering mountains lasted for over 450 million years until they were eroded away 1.25 billion years ago.

Nonetheless, scientists can still find traces of the ancient mountains preserved in the Vishnu Basement Rocks — the foundational layer of rock that is now located at the lowest part of the Grand Canyon. Above it lie several other layers of rock that were formed in later geological periods.

According to researchers, above the basement layer of rocks is a layer known as the Grand Canyon Supergroup, which showcases the creation and destruction of an early continent between 729 and 1,255 million years ago. These rocks, studies show, also contain evidence of early single-celled life, although they formed before complex life became common on the planet.

The next layer consists of Paleozoic strata made up of layered reddish rocks, which are most closely associated with the modern Grand Canyon. This layer is a remnant from a time when the region was a warm, shallow sea, as evidenced by the abundance of fossilized marine creatures embedded in the rock.

Following this is the segment of history concerning the uplift of the Colorado Plateau. This event altered the strength and flow of the Colorado River: over the last 5-6 million years, the river carved out an expanding channel, ultimately forming the Grand Canyon as we know it today.

It is known that the Grand Canyon currently spans 446 kilometers in length, reaches a width of 29 kilometers, and has a depth of up to 1.8 kilometers. Its immense dimensions highlight the tremendous power of the Colorado River and the lengthy geological timescales involved in the canyon's formation.