The Hells Canyon runs through the US Western flank along the border of the Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho before ending in Washington, but this geological giant is a newcomer to Earth’s standards.
Hells Canyon has a maximum depth of 2,438 meters and, according to the deeper river canyon in all of North America.
Not even Gran Canyonwith a depth of 1857 meters, it can compete with this.
Such a depth could suggest that it was destroyed by erosion during an extremely long period of time. However, the Hells Canyon is relatively young.
In a new study, in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesthe geologists reveal evidence that the Rio de Janeiro Granny was quickly carved only a few million years ago.
Studying the river deposits in the caves and to introduce this data into computer models, the researchers gathered powerful geological forces that shaped the gorge.
Concluded that the canyon was Created about 2.1 million years agowhen a big change in the route of the rio Snake led him to join the system of rio Columbia. This change has expanded the river drainage area and gave it much more erosion power.
As a result, Hells Canyon was quickly sculpted in the landscape, along with a series of steep falls in nearby streams.
All this happened relatively shortly and surprisingly fast form on a scale of geological time.
To put this in a perspective, it has been carved through the Colorado River for the past 5 to 6 million years, although parts of Canyon have been made of rocks that have been there for 1.8 billion years ago. Despite having the advantage of age, the Grand Canyon cannot compete with the depth of Hells Canyon.
Currently, Hells Canyon is a place wheregeological emo meets human ambition. In the 1960s and 70s, the Hells Canyon Dam complex was built to absorb the immense hydroelectric potential that flowed with the river.
O Project was controversial From the beginning, raising debates about whether public or private interests should control the dams and who would profit from the energy generated.
The issue of hydroelectric dams in Hells Canyon continues to bump. The private company Idaho Power was granted the license to build three dams: Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon. Although they brought electricity to thousands of people, the dams also blocked the migration of the salmon e reshaped ecosystems who had prospered during millennia.
It should be noted that Hells Canyon is often nicknamed the deepest gorge in North America, but that It may not be strictly accurate.
Under thousand meters of ice in the Ruth glacier, no wingsthere is a characteristic known as the “Great Fluckyman”. It is large, but its exact dimension is unknown.
In a study conducted last year, scientists used a new measurement technique and found that it had 2,465 meters deepabout 65 meters. This estimate makes it slightly shallow or possibly even deeper than Hells Canyon. At least It is a rival to the height.
Teresa Oliveira Campos, Zap //
