The Grand Canyon: Exploring a Natural Wonder of the World and Six Others

Embark on a global journey to witness nature’s most breathtaking masterpieces. The Earth is home to incredible natural wonders, formed over millennia through powerful geological and atmospheric processes. While various lists exist, a widely accepted collection recognizes seven specific locations as the planet’s most awe-inspiring natural phenomena. Among these celebrated sites, the Grand Canyon Natural Wonder Of The World stands out, a testament to the immense power of erosion and time. This expedition into the world of natural wonders requires no plane ticket, only curiosity about the stunning beauty our planet offers.

Historically, the concept of “wonders of the world” dates back to ancient times, initially focusing on man-made structures. Greek historians like Herodotus and later poets like Antipater of Sidon compiled early lists for travelers. The idea evolved to include natural formations. The first widely recognized list of Seven Natural Wonders reportedly emerged in 1997, followed by the formation of the non-profit Seven Natural Wonders organization in 2008. This group, comprising photographers, educators, environmentalists, and travel writers, established a definitive list, dedicated to the discovery, exploration, and conservation of these magnificent sites. They aim to educate people about these wonders and the threats they face, inspiring a philosophy of conservation.

Let’s delve into the seven places that have earned this prestigious title.

Mount Everest

The apex of the world, Mount Everest, towers at 29,029 feet (5.5 miles) high within the Himalayan Range, marking the border between Nepal and Tibet. While Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is technically taller from base to peak, a significant portion is submerged, leaving Everest as the highest peak above sea level.

The formation of the Himalayas, including Everest, is a dramatic story of plate tectonics. About 40 to 50 million years ago, the Indian continental plate collided with the Eurasian Plate. Due to their similar density, the plates’ edges buckled and rose, creating the colossal mountain range. Although the initial rapid movement of 30 feet per century has slowed to about 15 feet per century, the Indian Plate continues its relentless push, causing Everest to grow by nearly half an inch each year. The Nepalese people aptly named the mountain “Sagarmatha,” meaning “peak of heaven.”

Scaling Everest is an immense challenge, attempted by hundreds of climbers annually. The final mile to the summit, through thin air and icy conditions, typically takes 12 hours. A FOX Weather team member on a recent expedition highlighted the sheer scale of the annual climbing attempts. The summit sometimes aligns with the subtropical jet stream, adding another layer of complexity to expeditions.

Mount Everest summit snowcapped

Crowds climbing Mount Everest in 2019

Paricutin Volcano

Located just 200 miles west of Mexico City, Paricutin holds the distinction of being the youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere and the only one whose entire lifespan and eruption were witnessed by humans.

Its birth in 1943 was extraordinary. A farmer observed a fissure in his cornfield which rapidly escalated into a volcanic vent spewing hot rocks and dust. Within a mere 24 hours, a cone had grown 164 feet tall. After a week, it reached approximately 550 feet. Over its active nine-year period, Paricutin ejected a staggering one billion tons of lava, ultimately reaching its current height of 10,400 feet.

Lava erupting from Paricutin volcano

Paricutin volcano growing in a corn field

The Grand Canyon

The sole representative from the United States on this list is the majestic Grand Canyon Natural Wonder Of The World. Now a protected National Park, it encompasses 277 miles of the mighty Colorado River and spans up to 18 miles across at its widest points. Its deepest sections plunge over a mile down.

While the Grand Canyon is undeniably vast and deep, it is not the largest canyon on Earth. NASA points to the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet as being deeper in some areas (3 miles) and significantly longer (over 300 miles). Nevertheless, the Grand Canyon natural wonder of the world remains a geological marvel.

According to the National Park Service, the canyon’s formation process began almost 2 billion years ago with the creation of rocks in the inner gorge. Millions of years later, between 70 and 30 million years ago, tectonic plate movements caused the Colorado Plateau region to uplift. The final, crucial stage involved the relentless carving power of the Colorado River, which geologists estimate has been eroding the canyon for the past 6 million years, shaping the dramatic cliffs and layers visible today. Visiting the Grand Canyon National Park offers breathtaking views and challenging hikes along this incredible natural wonder.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona features one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Victoria Falls

Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning “smoke that thunders,” Victoria Falls stands as the world’s largest curtain of falling water. Fed by the Zambezi River, it straddles the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. victoria falls a wonder of the world is an accurate description for this powerful spectacle.

The “smoke” is the dense spray from the falls, which are an astounding 5,577 feet wide. This constant mist nourishes a unique rainforest on an island directly in front of the cascade. At certain times of the day, sunlight piercing the mist creates spectacular rainbows.

The sheer volume of water flowing over the falls is immense, averaging nearly half a million gallons per second. This extreme erosive power has caused the falls’ face to collapse and retreat upstream numerous times over geological history. An astronaut on the International Space Station captured a photo revealing the zigzagging path of the Zambezi, marking the positions of previous falls. natural seven wonder of the world lists often include Victoria Falls due to its scale and beauty.

The location of the falls is dictated by linear fault lines in the underlying basalt rock. The intense river erosion has driven the falls upstream, elongating the zigzag gorge. Prior positions are visible as distinct lines. The falls continue to erode northward. During the dry season, the flow can dramatically decrease, sometimes reducing the falls to a mere trickle.

Rainbows in the spray from Victoria Falls

Tourists walking across a bridge in front of Victoria Falls

Rainforest created by Victoria Falls spray

Tourists wearing ponchos and rubber shoes at Victoria Falls

ISS photo showing zigzag path of Zambezi River at Victoria Falls

Guanabara Bay

Home to the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Guanabara Bay is recognized as the world’s largest bay by water volume, stretching 88 miles in length. The city’s name, meaning “river of January,” refers to the significant runoff from summer storms that feed into numerous rivers. Fifty-five rivers contribute water to this expansive bay.

Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay aerial view

Great Barrier Reef

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is a truly monumental natural wonder – the largest living structure on Earth, visible even from space. It extends an incredible 1,600 miles along the country’s northeastern coastline.

This isn’t a single reef, but a complex system comprising over 2,500 individual reefs and more than 900 islands, covering a vast area of 134,000 square miles. The base of the reef is hundreds of thousands of years old, but the living coral structures we see today are relatively young, dating back only about 10,000 years. Studies indicate periods of rapid growth, vertically up to 65 feet per thousand years and laterally 5 feet per year.

The reef began its post-ice age growth when sea levels were significantly lower. Today, despite covering just 0.1% of the Earth’s ocean surface, it is a biodiversity hotspot, housing around 9,000 marine species and supporting 8% of the world’s fish species.

Great Barrier Reef along Australia's northeast coast from satellite

Aerial view of part of the Great Barrier Reef

Northern Lights

Ethereal and captivating, the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, illuminate the skies in the Northern Hemisphere, while their counterpart, Aurora Australis, graces the Southern Hemisphere. northern lights wonder of the world is a common way to refer to this phenomenon.

These vivid displays are often triggered by solar events like coronal mass ejections or solar flares. These events send streams of electrons towards Earth, which then interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules within our planet’s magnetic field.

According to Don Hampton, a researcher at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the process is akin to how neon signs produce light. The energetic electrons collide with atmospheric gases, “dumping in a little energy.” As these excited atoms and molecules return to their normal state, they release photons, which we perceive as light in various colors (greens, reds, blues, etc.), creating the dancing aurora. While most visible near the poles, auroras have occasionally been reported much further south. For a comprehensive 7 natural wonder of the world list, the Aurora Borealis is a dynamic and stunning inclusion.

Northern Lights dancing over Fairbanks, Alaska

From the highest peak to the most extensive reef, these natural seven wonder of the world examples remind us of the planet’s incredible geological power and biological diversity. The Grand Canyon natural wonder of the world is just one example of the stunning landscapes sculpted by natural forces over unimaginable timescales. Exploring these sites, whether in person or through stunning imagery and information, offers a profound appreciation for the wonders of our natural world. The question of is natural bridge a wonder of the world highlights the ongoing fascination with classifying and celebrating Earth’s most remarkable natural formations.