Take a virtual tour of America’s national parks: the Grand Staircase

Visitors to “scientific treasures” (sites with significant science content) often treat each site on its own. While this may be fine in many cases, in others it leaves the visitor without a complete picture of a certain aspect of science. Sometimes scientific treasures ought to be visited together with other, similar sites.

One example of a synergistic relationship between scientific treasures in the United States is the trio of National Parks: Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, and Bryce Canyon. Here a visitor to all three is treated to a more complete picture of the West’s geology than from each park on its own. This triad of National Parks makes up the Grand Staircase, a formation of multiple cliffs retreating to the north.

Explore the images for the complete picture of the Grand Staircase formation:

Bryce Canyon

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Finally, we reach the top step in the Grand Staircase, Bryce Canyon, northeast of Zion Canyon. The rock layers are even younger, ranging from the Carmel Formation (oldest) to the colorful Clarion Formation at the top. Originally over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) high, the cliffs have eroded down to around 2,000 feet (600 m). Bryce Canyon is, in fact, no canyon but amphitheaters formed during erosion.

Luca Galuzzi CC BY-SA 2.5

We hope that you have a chance to gain a fuller picture of the geology of the southwestern United States by visiting all three scientific treasures. Which other sites would you recommend viewing as a group to give visitors a more complete idea of their scientific significance?