[GUEST ACCESS MODE: Data is scrambled or limited to provide examples. Make requests using your API key to unlock full data. Check https://lunarcrush.ai/auth for authentication information.]  Deborah [@Deborah07849071](/creator/twitter/Deborah07849071) on x 2647 followers Created: 2025-07-24 07:18:19 UTC Meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide XXXXXX years ago A massive landslide would have dammed the Colorado River, forming a deep lake that has since dried up. A meteorite impact thousands of years ago may have triggered a landslide in the Grand Canyon and reshaped the Colorado River that runs through the national park. Geologists studying driftwood and lake sediments found in Stanton's Cave — in Marble Canyon, which lies in the eastern part of the Grand Canyon — revealed a possible connection between the area and the famous impact site known as Meteor Crater (also called Barringer Crater) in northern Arizona. Through excavation and multiple rounds of radiocarbon dating, researchers determined the driftwood is about XXXXXX years old. Yet today, the mouth of Stanton's Cave sits XXX feet (46 meters) above the Colorado River. A new study suggests the wood was carried there by an ancient paleolake, formed when a massive landslide dammed the river. "It would have required a 10-times-bigger flood level than any flood that has happened in the past several thousand years," Karl Karlstrom, co-lead author of the study and an Earth and planetary science professor at the University of New Mexico, said in a statement from the university. The study claims that the strike that created Meteor Crater could be linked to a paleolake — an ancient lake that existed in the past but has since dried up — in the Grand Canyon that formed at the same time. The impact would have generated an earthquake around magnitude XXX to 6, which could have sent a shock wave powerful enough to shake loose unstable cliffs in the Grand Canyon XXX miles (161 kilometers) away and trigger a massive landslide. That event, in turn, could have deposited enough debris to dam the river and form a lake. Other caves high above the river have also been explored for clues about the canyon's geological past. In addition to the driftwood, ancient beaver tracks have been found in areas that would be inaccessible to the water-dwelling animals today, further supporting the idea that a paleolake once existed in the area. With driftwood and sediment samples found in many caves as high up as XXXXX feet (940 m), the researchers estimate the paleolake would have been about XX miles (80 km) long and nearly XXX feet (91 m) deep. Over time, the dam that blocked the Colorado River could have been overtopped and deeply eroded, eventually filling up with sediment. While there is evidence linking the paleolake, the meteorite impact and resulting landslide, the researchers noted that further study is required to eliminate any other possible explanations for the river damming, such as random rockfall or a more local earthquake around the same time. Their findings were published July XX in the journal Geology.  XX engagements  **Related Topics** [canyon](/topic/canyon) [grand canyon](/topic/grand-canyon) [Post Link](https://x.com/Deborah07849071/status/1948281573977055506)
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Deborah @Deborah07849071 on x 2647 followers
Created: 2025-07-24 07:18:19 UTC
Meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide XXXXXX years ago
A massive landslide would have dammed the Colorado River, forming a deep lake that has since dried up.
A meteorite impact thousands of years ago may have triggered a landslide in the Grand Canyon and reshaped the Colorado River that runs through the national park.
Geologists studying driftwood and lake sediments found in Stanton's Cave — in Marble Canyon, which lies in the eastern part of the Grand Canyon — revealed a possible connection between the area and the famous impact site known as Meteor Crater (also called Barringer Crater) in northern Arizona.
Through excavation and multiple rounds of radiocarbon dating, researchers determined the driftwood is about XXXXXX years old. Yet today, the mouth of Stanton's Cave sits XXX feet (46 meters) above the Colorado River. A new study suggests the wood was carried there by an ancient paleolake, formed when a massive landslide dammed the river.
"It would have required a 10-times-bigger flood level than any flood that has happened in the past several thousand years," Karl Karlstrom, co-lead author of the study and an Earth and planetary science professor at the University of New Mexico, said in a statement from the university.
The study claims that the strike that created Meteor Crater could be linked to a paleolake — an ancient lake that existed in the past but has since dried up — in the Grand Canyon that formed at the same time. The impact would have generated an earthquake around magnitude XXX to 6, which could have sent a shock wave powerful enough to shake loose unstable cliffs in the Grand Canyon XXX miles (161 kilometers) away and trigger a massive landslide. That event, in turn, could have deposited enough debris to dam the river and form a lake.
Other caves high above the river have also been explored for clues about the canyon's geological past. In addition to the driftwood, ancient beaver tracks have been found in areas that would be inaccessible to the water-dwelling animals today, further supporting the idea that a paleolake once existed in the area.
With driftwood and sediment samples found in many caves as high up as XXXXX feet (940 m), the researchers estimate the paleolake would have been about XX miles (80 km) long and nearly XXX feet (91 m) deep. Over time, the dam that blocked the Colorado River could have been overtopped and deeply eroded, eventually filling up with sediment.
While there is evidence linking the paleolake, the meteorite impact and resulting landslide, the researchers noted that further study is required to eliminate any other possible explanations for the river damming, such as random rockfall or a more local earthquake around the same time.
Their findings were published July XX in the journal Geology.
XX engagements
Related Topics canyon grand canyon