Canyon Diablo (canyon)
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| Canyon Diablo | |
|---|---|
Near Interstate 40 and Two Guns Near Meteor Crater An image showing almost the full length (center left) | |
| Floor elevation | Approx. 4,712 ft (1,400 m) |
| Length | ≈ 81 miles (130 km)[1] |
| Width | 550 ft (170 m) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Arizona |
| Coordinates | 35°17′46″N 110°59′21″W / 35.29611°N 110.98917°W[2] |
 Interactive map of Canyon Diablo | |
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Canyon Diablo, previously named "Cañon Diablo", is a canyon that winds through the Colorado Plateau approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Flagstaff in northern Arizona. It is an example of an incised meander, a river bend carved into the plateau by erosion, creating a gorge. Portions of the canyon experience an ephemeral stream and act as a tributary to the Little Colorado River.
Archeologists have discovered evidence of human settlements belonging to both the older Desert Archaic peoples and the more recent Sinagua people from the 12th century. In the 19th century, several Old West ghost towns were established on the rim of the canyon, including Canyon Diablo and Two Guns. Today, the 81-mile (130 km) canyon lies within both Coconino County and the Navajo Nation.
Three bridges now span the canyon: a railroad bridge originally associated with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that connected the southern route of the first transcontinental railroad through Arizona across the canyon in 1882, but was later rebuilt and modernized in 1947; a former automobile bridge that once carried Route 66 over the canyon; and the current highway bridge that hosts Interstate 40.
The climate of Canyon Diablo and the immediate vicinity is generally arid to semi-arid, with microclimates created by elevation and topography. Summers are generally moderate in temperature while winters can dip to severe cold for periods of time. Microclimate conditions are formed by slope exposure to the sun and by the canyon restricting the total solar input into other areas of the canyon. Canyon Diablo is also subject to mesoscale drought cycles, on the order of hundreds of years. Changes in the precipitation volumes have been identified in the 13th and 16th century along with a cycle which started in 1998.[3]
Geology
Canyon Diablo is an 81-mile (130 km)[1] long canyon that is located 30 miles (48 km) east of Flagstaff in northern Arizona.[4] The canyon winds northeast to southwest through the high desert of the Colorado Plateau.[5] The larger portion of the canyon eroded though yellow-gray limestone that formed during the Permian, the last period of the Paleozoic.[6] The canyon is an example of an incised meander, a river bend carved into the plateau by erosion, creating a gorge.[5]
River incision began in the late Pliocene, approximately 2-3 million years ago or earlier, and continued, along with weathering processes occurring after incision, for several hundred thousand years.[7] An ephemeral stream intermittently flows within the canyon, often referred to as a wash or arroyo, acting as a tributary to the Little Colorado River. The Kaibab Limestone is the dominant rock formation forming the canyon walls,[8] though some of the stretches of the canyon traverse the younger Early to Middle Triassic Moenkopi Formation. The canyon originates within the Miocene to Pliocene basalts south of Flagstaff, Arizona.[3] The estimated drainage area for Canyon Diablo and its ephemeral watercourse Walnut Creek totals around 1,180 sq mi (3,100 km2).
The walls of the canyon have an average height of 131 feet (40 m),[7] spanning 550 feet (170 m) in width and reaching a depth of 225 feet (69 m) near the railway bridge.[9] At an elevation of around 4,712 feet (1,436 m),[10] its walls and channels have been compared to similar types of canyons and valleys observed on Mars.[7]
Meteor Crater proximity
The canyon passes 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Meteor Crater,[7] and lies in the westernmost portion of the meteorite strewn field resulting from the impact that created the crater 50,000 years ago.[11] Fragments of the meteorite have been found near the canyon.[6] In 1891, American mineralogist Albert E. Foote was one of the first to formally study a fragment, naming it the Canyon Diablo meteorite.[11] The convention at the time was to name a meteorite after the closest post office where the fragment was found.[5] In 1956, American geochemist Clair Patterson notably used the meteorite to help date the age of Earth.[12]
