Activity 6.

5 Relative geological time

Notebook: How did the Grand Canyon form?
Write a short summary of the geological history of the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado river for 5 million years. The rocks that at the
bottom are almost 2 billion years old. Each sediment layer has a different colour even though the
canyon might appear red. Humans moved to the canyon about 11,000 years ago.

Notebook: The Grand Canyon’s Rock Layers

Next to each layer write down the name of the geological period and the names
of possible fossils that might be found in that layer. Use the information
provided in the Student Guide. You could also research each of the geological
periods to find out what sorts of organisms lived at that time and what sorts of
fossils might be found.

Layer Age of layer in Period or Era Fossils

millions of years

Kaibab limestones 270 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Toroweap shale and 273 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

sandstone arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Coconino sandstone 275 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Hermit formation; siltstone, 280 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

mudstone, sandstone arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Supai group sandstone 285 - 315 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Surprise canyon; sandstone, 320 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

conglomerate, limestone arthropods,

Activity 6.5 Relative geological time

 amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Redwall limestone 340 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Temple Butte limestone 385 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Muave limestone 505 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Bright Angel shale 515 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Tapeats sandstone 525 Palaeozoic Period Molluscs, fish,

arthropods,
amphibians,
synapsids and
diapsids

Grand Canyon Supergroup; 600 - 1200 Proterozoic Bacteria, blue

mudrock and sandstone green algae, and
Ediacaran fauna

Vishnu Basement rocks; 1680 - 1840 Early Bacteria, blue

granites, schist and gneiss Paleoproterozoic green algae, and
Ediacaran fauna

Activity 6.5 Relative geological time

Most of the rock layers in the Grand Canyon contain fossils. Many of these come
from marine environments.
1. From your table, describe how the fossils have changed from the earliest to
the latest rocks. How did life on Earth change during this time period?
Fossils have gotten bigger and more noticeable due to evolution of plants and animals such as
bacteria, algae, and other soft body animals to vertebrae and fishes to land plants to amphibians
to reptiles to mammals to dinosaurs and finally primates. Many types of species were added,
diversified, and had extinctions. Bigger and bigger animals were evolving until the extinction of the
dinosaurs.

2. Would you expect to find any of the following fossils in the Grand Canyon
deposits?
a. Human fossils
b. Dinosaur fossils
c. Fish fossils
Fish fossils can be found in the Grand Canyon. Although dinosaur and human fossils cannot be
found because the rocks are older than the oldest known dinosaurs.

3. Which layer would you expect to contain very few fossils?

[Hint: Look at what type of rock the different layers are made from.]
The Grand Canyon supergroup are the least likely to have fossils as they were deposited before
complex life was found on Earth.

4. Many of the layers appear to have been laid down in shallow, tropical seas.
How do we know this?
The Kaibab limestone layer was laid down as mud, sand, and fossil fragments into a shallow and
slow-moving sea. The fossil fragments of animals living in the bottom of the sea such as
brachiopods and sponges can be found in this layer. This is how we know some layers of the grand
canyon were laid down in shallow tropical seas.

Activity 6.5 Relative geological time