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A terrific educational site is StudyWorks! Online-Sleuthing at the Grand Canyon. Using rocks to tell us about the past, http://www.studyworksonline.com/cda/cont... . The introduction talks about igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks in terms of what each can reveal about the environment in which it formed. Most of the discussion relates to sedimentary rocks since they are most plentiful in the Canyon. Each layer is then described and the viewer is asked to reconstruct the environment in which it was deposited. Finally, everything is brought together to tell the story of the geological history of Northern Arizona.
So far the web sites we have looked at have used rocks and fossils as a clues to past environments of the Canyon. But who could have guessed that a little packrat could help unravel the mystery as well? The Grand Canyon has an abundance of fossilized packrat middens. Midden means garbage pile ( http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/Tools/packrat... , http://www.cpluhna.nau.edu/Research/midd... ). A packrat midden is just an old pile of garbage left behind by a packrat. They are dated using radiocarbon methods and the examination of their contents gives one a glimpse into the past. Wow, was this exciting. Next stop, the Grand Canyon! Go To Page: 1 2
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