World wonder

Grand Canyon Wonder of World: Exploring the Seven Natural Wonders

Earth boasts a myriad of awe-inspiring landscapes, sculpted by millennia of geological forces and natural phenomena. From towering peaks to vast underwater ecosystems, these sites captivate the human imagination and inspire lists that attempt to capture the planet’s most remarkable natural features. For centuries, people have compiled lists of “wonders,” evolving from ancient man-made marvels to the most spectacular natural creations. While various interpretations exist, one prominent list recognizes the Grand Canyon Wonder Of World status, placing it among six other breathtaking locations that define the scale and beauty of our planet’s natural artistry. This exploration delves into the specific list of the Seven Natural Wonders championed by a dedicated non-profit organization, revealing why these places have earned their extraordinary title.

The concept of cataloging wonders dates back to ancient times. The famous Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century BCE is often credited with creating an early list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, intended as a guide for travelers. Later, the second-century poet Antipater of Sidon compiled a similar list. Of these ancient marvels, only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains standing today.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the only remaining ancient world wonder.

As the world expanded and exploration revealed more natural marvels, the focus shifted. The first notable list of Seven Natural Wonders was reportedly published in 1997. Building on this idea, a non-profit organization called Seven Natural Wonders was established in 2008. This group assembled a panel of experts, including nature photographers, educators, travel writers, environmentalists, naturalists, and sustainability professionals, to define their definitive list.

Their mission statement highlights a global grassroots effort focused on protecting these significant sites: “Seven Natural Wonders is a global grassroots endeavor committed to protecting the natural wonders of the world… to help people discover and explore the natural wonders of the world, to teach them about the wonders and the things that threaten their existence, and to inspire them to create a philosophy and practice of conservation.”

Based on this organization’s criteria and panel’s selections, here are the Seven Natural Wonders of the World:

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

Mount Everest

Rising to an imposing 29,029 feet (over 5.5 miles), Mount Everest stands as the Earth’s highest peak. Located in the Himalayan Mountain Range on the border between Nepal and Tibet, its summit is perpetually covered in snow. While Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is technically taller when measured from its base on the ocean floor, Everest holds the title for the tallest peak above sea level.

Snow-capped summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

The formation of Everest is a dramatic tale of plate tectonics. Approximately 40 to 50 million years ago, the Indian continental plate collided with the Eurasian Plate. Since both plates were of similar density, the immense pressure caused the landmasses to buckle and thrust upwards, creating the Himalayas. Initially, the Indian Plate moved rapidly at about 30 feet per century. Although it has slowed to roughly 15 feet per century, the collision continues, causing Mount Everest to grow taller by nearly half an inch each year. The Nepalese name for the mountain is “Sagarmatha,” meaning “peak of heaven.”

Crowds of climbers ascending Mount Everest in 2019.

The summit of Everest sometimes reaches into the subtropical jet stream. The challenging climb involves navigating thin air and icy conditions, with the final mile often taking 12 hours on average. Around 800 climbers attempt to summit Everest annually, facing extreme weather and physical demands.

Paricutin Volcano

Situated just 200 miles west of Mexico City, Paricutin holds the distinction of being the youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere. It is also unique in recorded history as the only volcano whose entire life cycle of eruption and dormancy was witnessed by humans from its inception.

In 1943, a farmer observed a fissure opening in his cornfield. This vent soon began to expel hot rocks and dust. Remarkably, within just 24 hours, a cone had formed, reaching 164 feet in height. By the end of a week, it had grown to approximately 550 feet tall. Over its 9-year eruption period, Paricutin expelled an estimated one billion tons of lava, eventually reaching its current height of 10,400 feet.

Lava erupting from Paricutin volcano during its active phase.

The volcano’s sudden appearance and rapid growth captivated scientists and locals alike, providing an unprecedented opportunity to study the birth and development of a volcanic cone.

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Paricutin volcano growing rapidly in a Mexican cornfield in the 1940s.

The Grand Canyon

For those asking, “is the grand canyon a wonder of the world“, according to the list compiled by the Seven Natural Wonders organization, the answer is yes. It is the only natural wonder from this list located in the United States. The Grand Canyon, now a National Park, encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and stretches up to 18 miles across at its widest point. Its deepest section plunges over a mile down, revealing billions of years of geological history.

While immense and deeply impressive, the Grand Canyon is not the largest canyon on Earth by all metrics. For instance, NASA notes that the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet reaches depths of 3 miles in some areas and extends over 300 miles in length. Nevertheless, the Grand Canyon Wonder Of World status is undeniable for its scale, vibrant colors, and intricate geological layers.

The formation of the Grand Canyon is a complex process that unfolded over vast timescales. According to the National Park Service, the earliest rocks in the inner gorge began forming almost 2 billion years ago. Much later, between 70 and 30 million years ago, tectonic plate shifts caused the Colorado Plateau region to uplift significantly. The final, and perhaps most dramatic, phase of canyon formation came from the relentless action of the Colorado River. Geologists estimate that the river has been carving its way through the uplifted landmass for approximately 6 million years, eroding the rock layers and creating the vast chasm seen today. This ongoing process continues to shape the landscape, making the Grand Canyon a dynamic geological feature. The question “was the grand canyon a wonder of the world” acknowledges its long-standing recognition and geological significance.

Thumbnail of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, a natural world wonder.

The Grand Canyon’s classification as a grand canyon natural wonder of the world is based on its exceptional scale, geological exposure, and the powerful forces that shaped it. Exploring its depths or viewing it from the rim offers a profound connection to the Earth’s ancient past. Understanding the geological history helps appreciate why is the grand canyon a 7th wonder of the world on lists like the one compiled by the Seven Natural Wonders organization. The sheer scale and beauty of the landscape solidify its place among the planet’s most extraordinary natural sites.

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is renowned as the largest curtain of falling water globally. Located on the Zambezi River, which forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa, it is a spectacle of immense power and beauty. Locals refer to the falls as “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” a name meaning “smoke that thunders,” according to Britannica.com.

This evocative name refers to the enormous spray generated by the falling water, which can rise hundreds of feet into the air and is visible from miles away. This constant mist supports a vibrant rainforest on an island directly in front of the falls, nourished purely by the spray. At certain times of the day, particularly when the sun’s angle is right, the mist creates a spectacular display of rainbows, adding a layer of ethereal beauty to the thundering cascade.

Rainbows visible in the mist at Victoria Falls.

The average flow over Victoria Falls is staggering, estimated at nearly half a million gallons per second during the wet season. This immense volume of water has carved out the gorge below the falls. Over geological time, the intense erosion at the lip of the falls has caused the face to collapse and the falls to retreat upstream multiple times. The Zambezi River below the falls follows a zigzag pattern, which is believed to represent the previous positions of the waterfall over thousands of years, controlled by weaknesses (fault lines) in the underlying basalt rock.

Satellite view from the ISS showing the zigzag gorge formed by Victoria Falls.

During the dry season, the water flow significantly decreases, sometimes reducing the roaring cascade to a mere trickle in certain sections, revealing the rocky face of the falls.

Guanabara Bay

Guanabara Bay serves as the natural harbor for the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It holds the distinction of being the largest bay in the world by volume of water. While its length spans 88 miles, it is its vast capacity that earns it this title.

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The name Rio de Janeiro itself translates from Portuguese to “river of January,” referencing the significant runoff that flows into rivers feeding the bay during the summer rainy season. A study indicates that fifty-five rivers contribute water to Guanabara Bay, draining a large surrounding watershed and bringing nutrients and sediment into the expansive body of water.

Aerial view of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay, Brazil.

Surrounded by stunning granite peaks like Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado Mountain (home to the Christ the Redeemer statue), the bay offers a dramatic natural setting that has contributed to the visual splendor of Rio de Janeiro. Its natural beauty and scale qualify it as a wonder.

Great Barrier Reef

Located off the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is an astonishing natural structure. It is the world’s largest living structure, built by billions of tiny organisms over millennia, and is so vast that it can be seen from space. The reef system stretches for approximately 1,600 miles along the coastline.

According to NASA, the Great Barrier Reef is not a single continuous reef but is composed of more than 2,500 individual reefs and over 900 islands, covering a total area of 134,000 square miles. The base structures of the reef are several hundred thousand years old, but the currently living portion dates back about 10,000 years, growing since the end of the last ice age.

Satellite image of the Great Barrier Reef along Australia’s coast.

The reef began its modern growth phase after the most recent ice age when global sea levels were significantly lower – nearly 400 feet below present levels. As sea levels rose, coral growth kept pace, building the massive structures seen today. Studies show periods where the reef grew vertically at impressive rates, up to 65 feet per thousand years, and laterally at about 5 feet per year.

Aerial view of part of the Great Barrier Reef.

Despite covering only 0.1% of the Earth’s ocean surface, the Great Barrier Reef supports an incredible diversity of life. The United Nations Atlas of the Oceans reports that approximately 9,000 species of marine life call the reef home, including about 8% of the world’s total fish species, making it a critical global ecosystem.

Northern Lights

Known as Aurora Borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and Aurora Australis in the Southern Hemisphere, the Northern Lights are a mesmerizing and often elusive natural light display that paints the polar skies. These eerie and beautiful lights are a result of interactions between the Earth’s atmosphere and charged particles from the sun.

Thumbnail explaining facts about the Northern Lights.

Vivid aurora displays typically occur a few days after significant solar events, such as coronal mass ejections or powerful solar flares. These events release a flood of electrons and other charged particles into space. When these particles reach Earth, they are guided by the planet’s magnetic field towards the polar regions. As they collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the upper atmosphere, they transfer energy to these atmospheric gases.

Aurora Borealis dancing over Fairbanks, Alaska.

Don Hampton, a researcher at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, explains that this process is similar to how a neon sign works – it’s essentially an electrical current exciting gases. When the excited oxygen and nitrogen molecules return to their normal, lower-energy state, they release the excess energy as light. Different gases and different altitudes produce different colors, with green and red being the most common hues resulting from oxygen interactions, and blue/purple from nitrogen. While the best chance of witnessing the aurora is closer to the poles, strong displays have occasionally been reported much further south, reaching as far as New Orleans according to the Northern Lights Centre.

These seven natural wonders, as recognized by the Seven Natural Wonders organization, represent some of the most magnificent expressions of geological and natural processes on Earth. From the towering heights of Everest to the vibrant depths of the Great Barrier Reef, and the immense scale of the Grand Canyon and Guanabara Bay, they remind us of the planet’s power, beauty, and rich history. Victoria Falls thunders with the force of water, Paricutin stands as a testament to recent volcanic birth, and the Northern Lights paint the sky with cosmic energy. Exploring these wonders offers profound insights into the natural world and reinforces the importance of their conservation for future generations.

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