Why Dinosaurs Likely Never Saw The Grand Canyon

Arizona's greatest wonder lies in the northern edge of our state. The Grand Canyon attracts millions of visitors per year for it's jaw dropping views and reminder of how powerful mother nature can be.

Within its walls and caverns, hundreds of lifeforms are preserved through fossils, but one specific type of animal has never been found there...

Why Dinosaurs Never Saw the Grand Canyon

It may seem like the Grand Canyon has been here forever. It's an ancient marvel that has stood the test of time, but new studies have shown it may be younger than we thought. While fossils from several species have been found in the canyon, there are none from the reptiles that used to rule the earth. Why?

While the Colorado river began carving away at the rock that would eventually become the Grand Canyon we know today around 70 million years ago, it likely didn't make much progress until just over 6 million years ago, meaning the dinosaurs that ruled the earth would have been dead and gone for millions of years.

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Fossilized Remains

While dinosaurs never had the chance to see the Grand Canyon, many other types of fossils were, at least, their remains were. Organisms like Trilobites and Brachiopods, which date to over 500 million years old are preserved in the rock we look at today.

Other terrestrial fossils like leaves, dragonflies, and ancient animal tracks can also be found near the surface, giving us a look into what made our prehistoric earth so fascinating, dinos or not.

[Smithsonian Magazine][National Parks Service]