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Gorges

by Thorns
(Malaysia)

I like your explanations so can u do one for gorges and add some pictures too?

Thanks a lot and keep up the good work! :D

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Gorges

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Feb 26, 2011
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Gorge formation
by: World of Waterfalls

I'm no geologist, but if you extend the idea behind waterfall formation (where water cuts into soft rock layers faster than hard rock layers), then the deeper the water cuts, the more likely you're going to have a gorge.



Grand Canyon



I think the vast majority of gorges have formed this way. Examples I can think of off the top of my head are the Grand Canyon and Zion Canyon.



Antelope Canyon



Another interesting example could be slot canyons scoured by flash floods in deserts like Antelope Canyon in Arizona.



Yosemite Valley



A corollary of the above idea could be glaciers depressing the land. When glaciers retreat, you're left with a deep gorge. Examples would be Yosemite Valley as well as many lesser known gorges in Norway.





Thingvellir



Finally, there may be others that might have formed from geologic events (like earthquakes and plate tectonics) where water wasn't involved in the initial formation, but may have exacerbated the depth of the gorge with its cutting action. Possible examples might be rift valleys like the one in Iceland or in East Africa. Then again, there could be those where plates smashed together, formed gorges, then got deeper by water like maybe in the Himalayas or the Andes Mountains.



Machu Picchu - within the Andes Mountains


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