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The Black Canyon of the Gunnison's unique and spectacular landscape was
formed slowly by the action of water and rock scouring down through hard
Proterozoic crystalline rock. No other canyon in North America combines
the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black
Canyon of the Gunnison.
One of the steepest, darkest and most rugged of such canyons is formed by
the Gunnison river as it flows through hard ancient rocks at the western
edge of the Rocky Mountains, on its way to joining the Colorado river at
Grand Junction. The canyon walls are composed of volcanic schist, predominantly
black in colour, and as the gorge reaches depths of over 2,000 feet while
often being only 1500 feet across, sunlight illuminates the walls only briefly,
hence the name 'Black Canyon'. It is unsettling, almost frightening to stand
at the very edge of one of the canyon overlooks, such is the menace and
sheerness of the jagged rocks below.
Though the 6 mile drive that leads to the south rim of Black Canyon is unassuming,
one quick glimpse over the edge of this magnificent, precipitous gorge will
give anyone a tremendous appreciation for why the area was set aside as
a national monument. Black Canyon, one of the most astounding canyons in
the world, is as narrow as 1,100 feet across in places, yet its walls plummet
2,900 feet down to the Gunnison River far below.
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