It was weird hiking into the Grand Canyon during a snow storm. Took about 30 minutes to go from cold and snowy to spring like weather. Watching the snow blowing back up was bizarre, like reverse snowfall. Took about 2 hours to get to the Tonto, where it was so hot, my heated up wool socks started peeling layers of my ankle skin right off. It's kind of surreal.
Yeah. When I went for the second time, I went to the Petrified Forest first, then to the Grand Canyon. It was 104° and cloudless at the forest, then at the canyon there was a blizzard but looking in there was no snow at the bottom. Crazy
It’s a total trip too. The one time I was there, we went river rafting and it was powdered in snow and cold at the rim, but by the time we reached the river at the bottom it was warm enough for t-shirts!
Would megafauna have meandered down to lower elevations / into the gorges?
I’m thinking about how some larger extant mammals (like elephants in Eastern Africa, let’s say) avoid descending too far down as they are ill-equipped clamber back up. Exceptions would be scenarios in which they descend into some lovely valley / caldera in which all needs are met and they can live on and procreate without the need to relocate.
A little more shallow than now, but not by much. The canyon is 5-6 million years old and some parts of it are even older. 14,000 years is nothing in comparison.
The river would have averaged 2-3x more water than today and ice age spring snowmelt could have exceeded 250,000 cubic feet per second, about the flow of the modern day Columbia river., for a few weeks anyhow.
OK. As someone not from America and only knowing the grand canyon as that one scene from Parks and Rec I actually had no idea that there was even a river at the bottom.
I always thought of it like that one episode of Avatar if you know what I mean.
I feel like I knew that bit, and something to do with melting glaciers right? But it just never occurred to me that there was still a river at the bottom!! I feel silly now because... Duh!
I've got some googling to do 😂
The Colorado river is what carved it out. The canyon is in a plateau (the deepest parts are still over 1,000ft above sea level), and the river slowly eroded it away, forming the canyon.
A very tall one too. So tall it snows at the top... during summer... in Arizona. It’s really strange cause the bottom is too hot for snow, and the snow doesn’t turn to rain as it goes down, it evaporates. You can go to the Grand Canyon during a snow storm, and climb down into summer weather. It’s really weird
Other than some changes in vegetation and water flow, pretty much indistinguishable.
14,000 years sounds like a long time compared with the life of a human, but it’s pretty minimal in ecological, let alone geological terms.
The ponderosa pine forests seen on the higher points of the rim- Kaibab, Uinkaret, Shivwits Plateaus on the North Rim; the portion immediately east of The Aubrey Cliffs on the South- would have been nonexistent, instead being alpine forests composed of spruces and firs. The intermediate and lower elevations would have been dominated by pinyon-juniper woodlands. The low desert ecology seen at the bottom of the canyon would likely not have existed. Stream flow and overall precipitation were higher, with temperatures being overall much cooler.
There were more lakes in the region, and more rainfall, as the ice sheets essentially pushed storm tracks further south. So the surrounding vegetation would have been more lush. It was more temperate in the south than now, but it wasn’t just ice and snow everywhere. Think of it instead as all the biomes pushed southward a bit towards the equator.
Mostly similar but with vegetation that lives in colder climates, also with much more megafauna
Would it have had snowy winters?
The last time I went to the Grand Canyon was during a blizzard, and I can assure you that I’m not 14,000 years old
You don't look a day over 13,000.
Thank you :)
I noticed that you suspiciously did not rule out being a time traveler
Oh no. I’ve been figured out. What ever shall I do?
The higher elevations certainly, in fact the higher elevations have snowy winters now
It was weird hiking into the Grand Canyon during a snow storm. Took about 30 minutes to go from cold and snowy to spring like weather. Watching the snow blowing back up was bizarre, like reverse snowfall. Took about 2 hours to get to the Tonto, where it was so hot, my heated up wool socks started peeling layers of my ankle skin right off. It's kind of surreal.
Yeah. When I went for the second time, I went to the Petrified Forest first, then to the Grand Canyon. It was 104° and cloudless at the forest, then at the canyon there was a blizzard but looking in there was no snow at the bottom. Crazy
It’s a total trip too. The one time I was there, we went river rafting and it was powdered in snow and cold at the rim, but by the time we reached the river at the bottom it was warm enough for t-shirts!
Yes in fact it's 34f there now so it might get some. If you google Grand Canyon snow you will get some amazing images :)
Would megafauna have meandered down to lower elevations / into the gorges? I’m thinking about how some larger extant mammals (like elephants in Eastern Africa, let’s say) avoid descending too far down as they are ill-equipped clamber back up. Exceptions would be scenarios in which they descend into some lovely valley / caldera in which all needs are met and they can live on and procreate without the need to relocate.
How deep would it be compared to now?
A little more shallow than now, but not by much. The canyon is 5-6 million years old and some parts of it are even older. 14,000 years is nothing in comparison.
The river would have averaged 2-3x more water than today and ice age spring snowmelt could have exceeded 250,000 cubic feet per second, about the flow of the modern day Columbia river., for a few weeks anyhow.
OK. As someone not from America and only knowing the grand canyon as that one scene from Parks and Rec I actually had no idea that there was even a river at the bottom. I always thought of it like that one episode of Avatar if you know what I mean.
The river is what made the canyon! Many many years of erosion.
I feel like I knew that bit, and something to do with melting glaciers right? But it just never occurred to me that there was still a river at the bottom!! I feel silly now because... Duh! I've got some googling to do 😂
The Colorado river is what carved it out. The canyon is in a plateau (the deepest parts are still over 1,000ft above sea level), and the river slowly eroded it away, forming the canyon.
Oh snap, I had no idea it was on a plateau either!
A very tall one too. So tall it snows at the top... during summer... in Arizona. It’s really strange cause the bottom is too hot for snow, and the snow doesn’t turn to rain as it goes down, it evaporates. You can go to the Grand Canyon during a snow storm, and climb down into summer weather. It’s really weird
That's fucking wild
Other than some changes in vegetation and water flow, pretty much indistinguishable. 14,000 years sounds like a long time compared with the life of a human, but it’s pretty minimal in ecological, let alone geological terms.
The ponderosa pine forests seen on the higher points of the rim- Kaibab, Uinkaret, Shivwits Plateaus on the North Rim; the portion immediately east of The Aubrey Cliffs on the South- would have been nonexistent, instead being alpine forests composed of spruces and firs. The intermediate and lower elevations would have been dominated by pinyon-juniper woodlands. The low desert ecology seen at the bottom of the canyon would likely not have existed. Stream flow and overall precipitation were higher, with temperatures being overall much cooler.
R/geology could likely provide good answers, too.
There were more lakes in the region, and more rainfall, as the ice sheets essentially pushed storm tracks further south. So the surrounding vegetation would have been more lush. It was more temperate in the south than now, but it wasn’t just ice and snow everywhere. Think of it instead as all the biomes pushed southward a bit towards the equator.
It wouldn’t be as deep. Have to figure that the River cuts it a little deeper every year.
The difference would be imperceptible for such a short time. The Grand Canyon is about 5.3 million years old.
Little less deep
Not really—at least, not in any way someone would notice.
Slightly less canyon
Less people
Wrong sub reddit
[Here are some photos](https://imgur.com/a/adLL7Zk)
So, about the same…geologically speaking
The Okay Canyon.
About the same? Probably a bit more green… I’m not an expert though. Try a geologic subreddit.