Share to ClassroomFlood Shows Water Still Changes Grand Canyon
On 29 August 2026, heavy summer rains caused a flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon, part of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. By 2 September, the National Park Service said two bodies had been found. More than 60 people were flown out by helicopter. The water carried trees, rocks and mud into the Colorado River, destroyed footbridges and damaged the park's only water pipeline.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 kilometres) long and more than a mile deep. Its rock walls show almost two billion years of Earth's history. First, layers of rock formed. Then the land was pushed up. About five to six million years ago, the Colorado River started to cut down into the rock. Erosion — the slow wearing away of rock — made the canyon wider. Many plants grow there, and Native Americans have lived in the area for thousands of years.
Geologist Laura Crossey told KJZZ radio that floods happen in the canyon almost every year. But KJZZ said this flood was different. The rain fell on land burned by a fire in 2025, and the soil could not hold the water. The flood also hit bridges, a campground and a water pipeline. Park hotels stopped taking guests because the pipeline was damaged. River guides say floods often change the river.
