Canyon

A canyon is a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, typically carved over millions of years by a river cutting through rock or by tectonic activity shifting the Earth's crust.

The Indus Gorge, which goes through the Himalaya mountain range in northern Pakistan is the deepest canyon in the world.

The Grand Canyon is about 1800 metres deep. That's more than twice the height of the world's largest skyscraper (the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, built in 2010).

Aerial view of The Grand Canyon by Workman - Wikipedia

In August 2013, the discovery of Greenland's Grand Canyon was reported. Located under an ice sheet, based on the analysis of data from Operation IceBridge, it is believed to be the longest canyon in the world.

The deepest river gorge in North America is Idaho's Hells Canyon. At a depth of 7,900 feet, it is even deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Venus has many craters and canyons on its surface. The troughs on the planet are part of a system of canyons that is more than 6,400 km long.

The largest canyon in the solar system is Valles Marineris on Mars. It runs approximately 4,000 km (2,500 miles) in length — roughly the width of the entire United States — and reaches depths of up to 9 km (5.6 miles), making it around six to seven times deeper than the Grand Canyon.

A canyon is typically formed over millions of years, either by a river gradually cutting through rock, or by tectonic activity. Canyons can also form underwater, created by deep-sea currents carving into the ocean floor.

The rock at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is estimated to be around 2 billion years old, while the rock at its rim is only about 230 million years old — meaning the rocks at the top and bottom span nearly two billion years of Earth's history.

Antelope Canyon, located in the desert of Arizona on Navajo Nation land near Page, is one of the most photographed canyons in the world. It is a slot canyon — a narrow, winding canyon formed when water rushes through cracks in the bedrock. It became an official Navajo Tribal Park in 1997, and guided tours are required to enter it.

The Cotahuasi Canyon in Peru is considered by many geographers to be the deepest canyon in the world, reaching depths of over 3,500 metres — roughly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.