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Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge of America, probably formed about 2.1 million years ago, new research shows. ; | Credit: Matthew Morriss
The Hells Canyon Origin History, the deepest Gorge of the North American River, has long been clear to scientists. However, according to new studies, it was about 2.1 million years ago, when the dramatic flood event was likely to create a river through a deep gorge.
Researchers concluded by examining clues hidden in the landscape and river deposits preserved in caves. They described their conclusions in a study published on May 19. In the magazine Pna;
Hells Canyon Wall Oregon, Aidah and Washington. It is cut by the Snake River and is the deepest gorge of the North American river, located in 10 miles (16 kilometers) and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) depth – almost 2000 feet deeper than the Great Canyon.
Canyons are inherently difficult to understand and see, ”said the main author of the study Matthew MorrissA geologist for the Utah Geological Survey. “As the river ruins and carries a canyon, it seems to destroy the evidence of its history,” Morriss told Live Science. But since Hells Canyon is so cool, he speculated that it was quickly cut.
To find out how the gorge was formed, the team looked at the caves along the canyon side. When the floods river swell, they can depress the sediment into the caves where they are preserved, Morriss said. Researchers analyzed the gravel, which the Snake River deposited in three caves along the sides of the heyn canyon, and evaluated the age of the deposited substance using isotope dating.
This allowed the investigators to determine when the river was higher than its current level, which would have been when it formed the canyon. The team combined this information with Knickpoints – drastic changes in river hardness, where rivers connect to the gorge – to connect the Hells Canyon story.
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These clues suggest that the Hells canyon has formed when the water is directed from Lake Aidah to the current road to form what the Snake River is now. Morris said the lake could spill out due to higher rainfall or changes to mainland exclusion. As a result, the river formed a way above the territory, which is now Hells Canyon, and the water slowly started rock about 5 million years ago, and after about 2.1 million years, the gorge extended the gorge.
Researchers used cave sediment to find out how and when Hells Canyon was formed. | Credit: Matthew Morriss
The age of the canyon was unexpected. “The age of the canyon was much younger than I thought it would be,” said Morriss. “I didn’t even realize that it could be up to 2 million years young – it is younger than the Great Canyon, which can be about 5 million years old for most people.”
Hells Canyon has a lot in common with the Great Canyon based on Karl KarlstromA geologist at the University of New Mexico, whose work is for the Great Canyon and was not related to new research.
“The Great Canyon and Hells Canyon are always compared to each other,” Karstrom said. “They are both large canions with large rivers at the bottom, they are about the same length and the same width,” Live Science told Karlstrom, but this study gives a clear picture of Hells Canyon’s unique story.
“For me, this document is a good hypothesis and it opens the way for other generations of work,” Karstrome said. Carlstrom added that dating with more canyon caves and integrating other dating methodologies could clarify conclusions and draw more accurate dates.
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The results can inform other canyons that could quickly be cut off by the river, Morriss said. Understanding the history of the hell canyon also gives insight into how the canyon formation has formed the surrounding ecosystem, as some animal species divides the canyon and others connected through it.
Numerous features of the southwest US landscape such as Hells Canyon and Grand Canyon are younger than expected before. “[The] The Western US is a young and ever -changing landscape that has been rebuilt over the last few million years and is still adjusting at the moment, “Karstrom said.