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National Parks and Monuments
 Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

A Short Reader

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.93

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bighorn, billion, erosion, lies, study, easily, northern, part, several, point, also, species, weather, different, across, other
     content words:    Canyon National Park, Colorado Plateau, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, South Rim, North Rim, Several California

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Grand Canyon
By Meg Leonard 		  
1     Grand Canyon National Park is in Arizona. It lies on the Colorado Plateau. The canyon was carved out by erosion. Erosion is the wearing away of rock by wind, water, or ice. The canyon was formed by the Colorado River. The canyon stretches for 277 miles. It is 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point. At its widest point, it is 15 miles across.
 
2     There are two rims at the Grand Canyon. The South Rim is the most easily reached part of the canyon. You can see the canyon from your car from an overlook. The North Rim is harder to reach. Snow can close the roads for many months. It can be hard to reach in good weather, too.
 
3     Many fossils are at the park. Some fossils are over a billion years old! These fossils were not animals; they were one-celled plant-like organisms. Mummified dung and hair have been found. Marine fossils have also been found. Scientists also study the rocks of the canyon.

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