Letters to the editor
From the issue of March 23, 2013
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If the geology of the Grand Canyon dates back to 70 million years ago “Grand Canyon’s age pushed back,” (SN: 1/12/13, p. 15), that would be around the same time the Rocky Mountains were being pushed up by the subduction process originating off the western continental coast. Could the lifting of the Colorado Plateau be related to the lifting of the Colorado Rockies?
Joe Flynn, Spanaway, Wash.
The timing of the Colorado Plateau’s uplift remains fairly controversial, including whether it occurred all at once or in several discrete stages. But many geologists think it may have been at least partially related to the same event (known as the Laramide orogeny) that raised the Rocky Mountains between about 70 million and 40 million years ago. — Alexandra Witze
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