Bright Angel Fault
Looking across the canyon, you can see evidence
of a fracture in the earth, the Bright Angel Fault.
Stretching across Grand Canyon in front of you,
Bright Angel Canyon traces the route of the Bright
Angel Fault.
Faults are fractures in the earth's crust along
which movement occurs. Rarely can you see a
fault, but you can see evidence of it. Evidence
can be seen here in the displacement on either
side of the fault.
On the opposite cliff, an offset in the rock
layers—best seen in the light-colored Coconino
Sandstone—demonstrates the shift. The layers
on the right of the fault rise about 150 feet (50
meters) higher than on the left.
Bright Angel Fault is still active, producing small
earthquakes which visitors sometimes feel.
Two major trails follow the trace
of the Bright Angel Fault (photo
below left). Side canyons, which
tend to form along fault lines,
become convenient routes for
access into the Grand Canyon.
The North Kaibab Trail follows
the fault trace on this side of the
canyon; the Bright Angel Trail
follows it on the other.
Most of the faults which criss-cross
the Grand Canyon region (map
below) are far older than the
canyon itself. Movement along a
fault creates a zone of weakness
which becomes a channel for
erosion (illustration below).
Many of Grand Canyon's
spectacular side canyons—like
Bright Angel Canyon—have
formed through erosion along
zones of weakness which follow
major north/south fault.
