Naturally Wonderful 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The Grand Canyon, located in the state of Arizona, was formed as the result of millions of years of geological activity. Its oldest rocks are an estimated 1.8 billion years old; that makes them older than the dinosaurs! At an impressive 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) deep, and measuring 6093 feet (1857 m) at its deepest point, the canyon took an estimated 70 million years to form as the Colorado River slowly eroded its rock. The Grand Canyon National Park is larger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island! It is a great place for a hike or picnic, but watch out for the rattlesnakes - six different species live there! Also, be sure to stay away from the rock squirrels. They may be cute, but their bite can carry nasty diseases!

The Narrows, believed to be 18 million years old, is part of Zion Canyon, which is found in Zion National Park in the state of Utah. The passage was made by the Virgin River, and, at its most narrow point, is 20-30 feet (6.1 m-9.1 m) wide; at its deepest point the walls of Zion Canyon rise to 2,640 feet (805 m) tall. Hikers may choose one of two routes through The Narrows - the top-down hike is a one-way, permit-needed sixteen mile (26 km) stretch. And, while the bottom-up route does allow for hikers to change their minds and go back by the same route, about a third of the 3.6 mile (5.8 km) route is in the Virgin River itself, which varies from being ankle deep to waist deep to possibly over one's head depending on the time of year. There are times when hiking The Narrows is not allowed, and visitors need to strictly adhere to park rules for their own safety. Spring melting and flash floods make it dangerous at times. And it is an extra one mile hike on the Riverside Walk Trail that is alongside the Virgin River to get to the beginning of The Narrows!

Crater Lake is located in the Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon. With its deepest point being 1,949 feet (594 m), the lake is the deepest in the United States, and is known for its clean, clear, blue water. The lake formed after the collapse of a volcano, Mount Mazama, about 7500 years ago; the collapse formed a caldera, or crater. There are no rivers that flow into the crater, so all of the water that collects there comes from either rain or snow. That is why the water is so clean. Believe it or not, there are only a couple of places where people are allowed to swim in the lake, and be warned! The water, even in the summer months, is very cold with an average surface temperature of around 55°F (12.8°C). In addition it takes either a long hike or a boat ride to get to the legal swimming holes. Be sure to check in advance to make sure the trails are open!

Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world, with over 350 miles (560 km) having been explored. The entire national park covers 52,830 acres (214 square km). Formed from sedimentary rock like limestone, the passageways and chambers are believed to date from 10-15 million years ago. The limestone rock bed of the cave, however, is believed to be 320-360 million years old. It is currently thought that people began living in the cave about 12,000 years ago and that it was the home of many different groups. Over the centuries, the early settlers explored much of the system; there is evidence of their presence - both artifacts and petroglyphs - found in over nineteen miles of the cave's passages. The system was rediscovered before 1812, and became important because it contained nitrates that help produce gunpowder. Just so you're not disappointed - the cave was named due to its size, NOT because of the presence of prehistoric animals. It is a great place to visit year round as its temperature remains at a constant 54°F (12°C). Keep your eyes open for the endangered cave shrimp that live there. They have a translucent body and no eyes!

Native Americans called the Florida Everglades "grassy water", and it is definitely a river of grass! While there are also areas of mangrove swamps, much of the Everglades consists of a shallow, slow-moving river that is about 100 miles (161 km) long and 60 miles (96.6 km) wide. The average depth of the water is 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 m), and the deepest spots measure about 9 feet (2.7 m) deep. Impressed by its size? It used to be much larger. Two hundred years ago, the river of grass covered 3 million acres (12,141 square km), but only about half that number remains today. Nevertheless, this shallow river provides drinking water for approximately one in every three people who live in Florida. Now, there is a pretty big deal made concerning the fact that both crocodiles and alligators live in the Everglades. While this is true, they really don't typically meet up. Alligators prefer the fresh water found inland, and crocodiles like the salty water found in the coastal areas.

Kilauea, which covers about 14% of the Big Island of Hawaii, features one of the longest volcanic eruptions on record, and continues to increase the island's land area. Sometimes the lava is described as flowing, and sometimes it explodes, so it is very important to know the rules at the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. While the park, established in 1916, also features the famous Mauna Loa volcano, the two volcanoes each have their own vent systems. They do, however, share a magma source. Scientists think that Kilauea is 300,000-600,000 years old, but, believe it or not, it is Hawaii's youngest volcano. The name Kilauea means much spreading or spewing in the native Hawaiian language, and that is exactly what it has been doing almost constantly since 1983, earning it the distinction of also being Hawaii's most active volcano. Tradition hold that Kilauea is the birthplace of the god of fire and volcanoes, Pele, so it is very important to be respectful of the area when visiting.

Denali, which used to be called Mt. McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America at 20,310 feet (6190 m). Its peak is permanently covered in snow, and some of its glaciers are thirty miles (48 km) long. The area around the mountain is the traditional home of five groups of Native Americans belonging to the Athabaskan language group who have lived there for thousands of years. The people used to lead a nomadic way of life, gathering food in the summer and holding festivals in the winter. The name Denali is derived from their language, and means tall one. Even though the winter temperatures are cold - the wind chills came reach - 118° F (-83° C) - and there are only about 4 1/2 hours of sunlight a day, some plan to visit Denali, which is located in Denali National Park, during that time so that they may also enjoy the Northern Lights. There is, however, only one road that leads to the park, and a lottery is held every day to determine which cars are allowed entrance.

Death Valley is located in eastern California; its Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. While its modern name comes from California Gold Rush settlers who weren't sure they would find their way out, the Timbisha Shoshone Native Americans who lived there for at least 1,000 years called it Tumpisa, which means rock paint. There is evidence, however, that people lived there off and on for at least 7,000 years, which is relatively recent considering that some of the rock formations there have been estimated to be as old as 1.7 billion years. Death Valley is the hottest, driest, and lowest point in North America, and it is also the largest national park in the contiguous United States at 3.4 million acres (13,759 square km). While you are there, be sure to visit Panamint City, which is now a ghost town. It used to be the site of a silver mining boom. Also, watch out for the valley's sailing stones on the Racetrack Playa. While they move slowly, they also appear to move on their own accord! Scientists believe this phenomenon is caused by both wind and rain. Don't forget to visit the singing sand dunes that somehow produce a rumbling sound!

Old Faithful, which is located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, is a geyser; that means it is a hot spring that periodically shoots out hot water and steam. Since its discovery in 1870 over one million of its eruptions have been recorded. Each time it erupts somewhere between 3700-8400 gallons (14006-31798 liters) of water are discharged over a period of 1-1/2 to 5 minutes. The average height of the discharge is 145 feet (44 m). The time between eruptions seems to depend upon the length of the previous discharge. Since 2000 the time in between has averaged about 90 minutes. Old Faithful is not the tallest geyser in Yellowstone National Park - Steamboat Geyser is. It is, however, the most reliable one - hence its name. There are lots of neat animals and other things to see in Yellowstone, but be sure to stay on the boardwalk paths for both your safety and the safety of the park features. The water temperature at some can reach over 350° F (177° C).

Scientists are still debating the geological history of Devil's Tower, which is located in Wyoming, but they do agree on some points. The area where it is located was an inland sea 225-195 million years ago, and the sea was probably drying up about the same time that Devil's Tower was formed. About 50 million years ago the nearby Rocky Mountains and Black Hills were formed, and that is when a volcanic intrusion, where magma below the surface of the Earth is forced through existing rocks, took place at Devil's Tower. It was, however, below the surface of the Earth until about five or ten million years ago when erosion began to expose the Tower and form the columns on the outside surface that are seen today. Devil's Tower, which measures 867 feet (264 m) from its summit to its base, is sacred ground to more than twenty Native American tribes who have lived nearby for at least 11,000 years; they prefer the name Bear Lodge instead of the name given to the monolith in 1875 by white explorers. Climbers may scale Devil's Tower after obtaining a permit, however, they are asked to stay away during the month of June when Native Americans conduct ceremonies nearby. There are great hiking paths - one goes around the Tower - on the site, and stargazing is a popular pastime at night.

By the way - Uluru and Great Barrier Reef are in Australia, the Dead Sea borders Israel and Jordan, Victoria Falls is found on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and Mt. Everest is in Nepal.