The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, is probably one of the most famous canyons in the world. It has been around for about 5 to 6 million years, yet it still holds lots of undiscovered secrets.
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On a winding trail through the red cliffs, one geologist discovered that one boulder had separated from a rock formation. When he examined it closely, he discovered something shocking. This discovery shed some light on the prehistoric life in Arizona.
Bright Angel Trail
Our story began when a part of a cliff at the Bright Angel Trail collapsed. This caused a boulder to drop down below. For many years, hikers and tourists had walked over this piece of boulder, not realizing it was hiding an amazing piece of history.
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For so many years, nobody took notice of this key piece of history. Until, one day, someone who possessed the right knowledge stumbled upon this boulder, saw the prints, and realized just how valuable it was.
Allan Krill
The person who finally realized how valuable the collapsed boulders were was a geologist named Allan Krill. As he inspected the boulder, he realized that there was something odd and fascinating about it.
ntnu.edu
Imprinted on the stone was something that predated the dinosaurs. Four years later, a friend of Allan Krill published a paper detailing what made this piece of rock so fascinating and what history it held.
Discovery
Up to this day, Krill’s discovery remains unique. This discovery truly helped us learn more about the world we lived in before we came into existence. With Krill’s skill and knowledge, we just discovered an important piece of history.
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If those boulders hadn’t fallen and if Krill had never taken notice of it, it’s possible that we never would’ve learned about this secret. It’s even more interesting because the Grand Canyon has been around for 5 million years or even more!
How The Grand Canyon Was Created
Like many things, we can explain the formation of the Grand Canyon through science. The main cause behind its formation was erosion. What is unsure is exactly how old the Grand Canyon is. Some argue it’s 5-6 million years old, while some believe it to be as old as 70 million years old.
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However, what most scientists will agree on is that the Grand Canyon was formed when the Colorado River began hacking away layers upon layers of volcanic rock. Sediments then drifted to the bottom and hardened there.
Seven Natural Wonders of The World
Formed by the waters of the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is recognized as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It’s no surprise, given how stunning it truly looks. Even former US President Theodore Roosevelt named it one of the greatest sights every American should see.
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Geologists say the canyon got its current depth around 1.2 million years ago when the floods and the last bouts of the ice age finally ended. This was also the place where Allan Krill would make his fascinating discovery.
Erosion
The Grand Canyon still holds lots and lots of secrets. Sadly, geologist Wane Ranney has said that the Colorado River is causing erosion and removing the evidence of the Canyon’s earliest history. Therefore, researchers shouldn’t wait around.
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On the other hand, the erosion isn’t completely bad. In fact, it may even be a blessing in disguise. As the rocks are being eroded, more and more secrets are being exposed. One of those secrets is what Krill stumbled upon.
Animal Footprints
Allan Krill had discovered fossilized animal footprints in the rock! In May 2019, the Grand Canyon National Park Service had announced that fossilized footprints were discovered in a remote area of the canyon.
nps.gov
They believed these footprints belonged to a tetrapod, a four-legged creature that lived around 280 million years ago. These animals were even believed to be older than the dinosaurs! Thanks to Krill’s keen eye and knowledge, these rare footprints were discovered.
Identifying the Species
After much observation and analysis, palaeontologists concluded that the marking was from a creature known as an Ichniotherium. Apparently, these tracks are about 280 million years old and were made when the Grand Canyon was nothing but a sandy desert.
Heitor Francischini via NPS
The marks were believed to have been made by diadectomorphs, a group of amphibians closely similar to the first reptiles. Palaeontologists were surprised to see an amphibian living in such a dry environment since they needed the water to lay eggs.
More Discoveries
This discovery suggested that diadectomorphs were well capable of surviving in deserts and may possess reptilian traits after all. Furthermore, this offered clues about how tetrapods roamed the Earth many years ago.
Voltaire Paes Neto
Shortly after the discovery of the fossilized tracks, the National Parks Service announced its intention of making a compilation of all paleontological data. This compilation would include a catalogue of fossil history in the Grand Canyon, which would provide lots of insight to both experts and tourists.
Another Surprise
Although many years of research have been invested in exploring the secrets of the Grand Canyon, there were still more surprises waiting to be found. So our story goes back to our geologist protagonist, Allan Krill.
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In 2016, Krill was guiding a group of students along the Bright Angel Trail. He believed it was just going to be another typical hike like he always does. What he didn’t know was that he was going to be involved yet again in something historical.
Observing The Rocks
Bright Angel Trail is famous for its beauty. The trail starts on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, at the Grand Canyon Village and carries on for another 8 miles (12.9 km) before you reach the trail’s end.
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While hiking the trail, the hikers passed by some notable rock formations, such as the Brahma Temple and Cheops Pyramid. However, these gorgeous rock formations weren’t what caught Krill’s attention. Instead, it was something smaller and more discreet.
Not A Typical Boulder
While hiking with his students, he notices a boulder at the side of the trail. The boulder didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the boulder was covered in strange markings.
Steve Rowland
Thanks to Krill’s knowledge, he was able to identify where the boulder had come from. It was clear that this was a part of the Manakacha Formation. Judging by its looks, it was evident that it had fallen from the cliff.
Second Opinion
Krill was astounded at this discovery. He decided to take a few snaps of the rocks and sent them to Rowland, a palaeontologist from the University of Nevada. When Rowland saw the image, he confirmed Krill’s suspicions.
Stephen Rowland
It seems like these markings were actually fossilized footprints dating back hundreds of millions of years ago. Then, two years pass, and Krill’s discovery was announced at the yearly meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
PLOS ONE
It took a couple more years before they finally revealed the truth about Krill’s findings that fateful day. On August 19, 2020, Rowland and two of his colleagues, Mario Caputo and Zachary Jensen, published a paper in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
Hank Stites
In their publication, the three experts talked about the fossilized tracks discovered in the Grand Canyon. They also mentioned the markings Krill discovered when he was hiking the Bright Angel Trail with his students.
Dating The Rocks
Thanks to the technology we have, combined with previous knowledge about the area surrounding the Manakacha Formation, experts were able to determine exactly how old those mysterious markings were.
Eric Rowland
Things probably would have been much more different had Krill not stopped to examine the boulder up close. That one decision he made led to one of the most groundbreaking discoveries at the Grand Canyon.
313 Million Years
After observing and analyzing the footprints, Rowland and his colleagues came to the conclusion that these fossils were about 313 million years old! This means these animals dated back to the Carboniferous Period.
The Associated Press
These discovered prints are also believed to be the oldest fossilized vertebrate footprints to have ever been found at the Grand Canyon. Krill certainly seems to be a lucky chap. He somehow makes groundbreaking discoveries accidentally.
What Animal This Was
Although they were able to identify approximately how old these markings were, what they couldn’t identify was what kind of species they were. The only thing they were sure of was that it certainly came from a reptile.
wikipedia.com
Rowland believes only two creatures walked diagonally across the ground those many years ago. These animals would then be a part of the Manakacha Formation, leaving their tracks behind, only for Krill to stumble upon it millions of years later.
Skeptical
As with many things in science, not everyone was convinced that these markings were made by two separate creatures. Some argue that it could have been created by the same animal, only on different occasions.
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And yet, no matter what, it was evident that it wasn’t only one creature responsible for creating these marks. This argument was only further cemented when they realized that the prints were made with different degrees of speed.
Walking Pattern
Aside from the evidence that two separate creatures made the marks, they also discovered that one of these creatures moved using a different walking pattern. In here, experts referred to it as a later-sequence walk.
nps.gov
During an interview with The Arizona Public in 2020, Rowland said the creature’s locomotion was something like “where the left rear foot moves and then the left front and then the right rear and the right front and so on.”
Modern Animals
During the interview, Rowland also explained, “Living species of tetrapods—dogs and cats, for example—routinely use a lateral-sequence gait when they walk slowly.” So, although the creatures may have been prehistoric, this movement was not.
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Rowan also said, “The Bright Angel Trail tracks document the use of this gait very early in the history of vertebrate animals. We previously had no information about that.” Now, we know everything. Only one question remains: How were the prints kept in good condition?
The Prints’ Condition
The only question we have that remains unclear is how the prints managed to stay in good condition. Experts theorize this was because for many years, the track may have been covered in either sand or water.
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For millions and millions of years, these prints were safely tucked away in the Manakacha Formation. Now, they have been shown to the world. Sadly, no agreement has been made about what kind of creature made these tracks.
Some Uncertainties
Although our experts have a vast knowledge about fossils and identifying which period they belong to, they still have their doubts about the creature discovered. Like others, Rowland knows his findings are inconclusive.
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For now, the boulder remains exactly where it was when Krill made his discovery. Now, it has become a tourist attraction, both for regular hikers and geologists. After reading all about the Grand Canyon, do you think you’d ever want to go for a visit?