A canyon (from ; archaic

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

s or

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s resulting from

weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement), ...

and the erosive activity of a river over

geologic time scale The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochrono ...

s. Rivers have a natural tendency to cut through underlying surfaces, eventually wearing away rock layers as

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

s are removed downstream. A

river bed A stream bed or streambed is the bottom of a stream or river (bathymetry) or the physical confine of the normal water flow (channel). The lateral confines or channel margins are known as the stream banks or river banks, during all but flood st ...

will gradually reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water into which the river drains. The processes of weathering and erosion will form canyons when the river's

headwaters The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

and

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

are at significantly different elevations, particularly through regions where softer rock layers are intermingled with harder layers more resistant to weathering. A canyon may also refer to a rift between two mountain peaks, such as those in ranges including the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

or the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. Usually, a river or stream carves out such splits between mountains. Examples of mountain-type canyons are

Provo Canyon Provo Canyon is located in unincorporated Utah County and Wasatch County, Utah. Provo Canyon runs between Mount Timpanogos on the north and Mount Cascade on the south. The canyon extends from Orem on the west end to Heber City on the east. Provo ...

in Utah or

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surroun ...

in California's

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

. Canyons within mountains, or gorges that have an opening on only one side, are called box canyons.

Slot canyon A slot canyon is a long, narrow channel or drainageway with sheer rock walls that are typically eroded into either sandstone or other sedimentary rock. A slot canyon has depth-to-width ratios that typically exceed 10:1 over most of its length and ...

s are very narrow canyons that often have smooth walls. Steep-sided valleys in the

seabed The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as 'seabeds'. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...

of the

continental slope A continental margin is the outer edge of continental crust abutting oceanic crust under coastal waters. It is one of the three major zones of the ocean floor, the other two being deep-ocean basins and mid-ocean ridges. The continental margin ...

are referred to as

submarine canyon A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope, sometimes extending well onto the continental shelf, having nearly vertical walls, and occasionally having canyon wall heights of up to 5 km, from c ...

s. Unlike canyons on land, submarine canyons are thought to be formed by

turbidity current A turbidity current is most typically an underwater current of usually rapidly moving, sediment-laden water moving down a slope; although current research (2018) indicates that water-saturated sediment may be the primary actor in the process. T ...

s and

landslides Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, ...

Etymology

The word ''canyon'' is Spanish in origin (, ), with the same meaning. The word canyon is generally used in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, while the words ''gorge'' and ''

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion.Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, though ''gorge'' and ''ravine'' are also used in some parts of North America. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, place names generally use ''canyon'' in the southwest (due to their proximity to Spanish-speaking Mexico) and ''gorge'' in the northeast (which is closer to

French Canada French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

), with the rest of the country graduating between these two according to geography. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, a ''gorge'' is usually narrow while a ''ravine'' is more open and often wooded. The military-derived word '' defile'' is occasionally used in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Formation

Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

from a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

or table-land level. The

s form because harder

rock strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on the valley walls. Canyons are much more common in arid areas than in wet areas because physical weathering has a more localized effect in arid zones. The wind and water from the river combine to erode and cut away less resistant materials such as

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

s. The freezing and expansion of water also serve to help form canyons. Water seeps into cracks between the rocks and freezes, pushing the rocks apart and eventually causing large chunks to break off the canyon walls, in a process known as frost wedging. Canyon walls are often formed of resistant

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

s or

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

Sometimes large rivers run through canyons as the result of gradual geological uplift. These are called

entrenched river An entrenched river, or entrenched stream is a river or stream that flows in a narrow trench or valley cut into a plain or relatively level upland. Because of lateral erosion streams flowing over gentle slopes over a time develops meandering (sn ...

s, because they are unable to easily alter their course. In the United States, the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

in the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

and the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

in the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

are two examples of

tectonic uplift Tectonic uplift is the geologic uplift of Earth's surface that is attributed to plate tectonics. While isostatic response is important, an increase in the mean elevation of a region can only occur in response to tectonic processes of crustal thick ...

. Canyons often form in areas of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rock. As limestone is soluble to a certain extent,

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

systems form in the rock. When a cave system collapses, a canyon is left, as in the

Mendip Hills The Mendip Hills (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running from Weston-super-Mare and the Bristol Channel in the west to the Frome valley in the east, the hills ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

and

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills ri ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England.

Box canyon

A box canyon is a small canyon that is generally shorter and narrower than a river canyon, with steep walls on three sides, allowing access and egress only through the mouth of the canyon. Box canyons were frequently used in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

as convenient corrals, with their entrances fenced.

Largest canyons

The definition of "largest canyon" is imprecise, because a canyon can be large by its depth, its length, or the total area of the canyon system. Also, the inaccessibility of the major canyons in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

contributes to them not being regarded as candidates for the biggest canyon. The definition of "deepest canyon" is similarly imprecise, especially if one includes mountain canyons, as well as canyons cut through relatively flat

s (which have a somewhat well-defined rim elevation). The

Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, also known as the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, the Tsangpo Canyon, the Brahmaputra Canyon or the Tsangpo Gorge ('), is a canyon along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the deep ...

(or Tsangpo Canyon), along the

Yarlung Tsangpo River The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The upper section is also called Da ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

, is regarded by some as the deepest canyon in the world at . It is slightly longer than the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

in the United States. Others consider the

Kali Gandaki Gorge The Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi is the Canyon, gorge of the Kali Gandaki (or Gandaki River) in the Himalayas in Nepal. By some sources, it may be one of the deepest gorges in the world. The upper part of the gorge is also called Thak Khol ...

in midwest Nepal to be the deepest canyon, with a difference between the level of the river and the peaks surrounding it. Vying for the deepest canyon in the Americas is the

Cotahuasi Canyon Cotahuasi Canyon (from Quechua Kutawasi), near the city of Arequipa in Peru, is one of the deepest canyons in the world. With a depth of approximately , as defined as the difference in elevation at river level and the peak of a mountain alongsid ...

and

Colca Canyon The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru, located about northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of about 1000 - 2000 m (3300 - 6600 ft) (whereas bottom is at cca 2000 m and edges are at 3000 - 4000 metres above the sea lev ...

, in southern Peru. Both have been measured at over deep. The

of northern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States, with an average depth of and a volume of , is one of the world's largest canyons. It was among the 28 finalists of the

New7Wonders of Nature New 7 Wonders of Nature (2007–2011) was an initiative started in 2007 to create a list of seven natural wonders chosen by people through a global poll. It was the second in a series of Internet-based polls led by Swiss-born Canadian Bernard Web ...

worldwide poll. (Some referred to it as one of the

seven natural wonders of the world Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...

.) The largest canyon in Africa is the

Fish River Canyon The Fish River Canyon (Afrikaans: ''Visrivier Canyon'' or'' Visrivier Kuil'', german: Fischfluss Canyon), is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia.Ma ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. In August 2013, the discovery of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

was reported, based on the analysis of data from

Operation IceBridge Operation IceBridge is an ongoing NASA mission to monitor changes in polar ice. It is an airborne follow-on mission to the ICESat satellite, continuing until after the ICESat-2 mission launch in September 2018. Program history From 2003 to 20 ...

. It is located under an ice sheet. At long, it is believed to be the longest canyon in the world. The

Capertee Valley The Capertee Valley (pronounced Kay-per-tee) is a large canyon in New South Wales, Australia, north-west of Sydney that is noted to be the second widest of any canyon in the world, exceeding The Grand Canyon. It is located kilometres north-wes ...

in Australia is commonly reported as being the second-widest canyon in the world.

Cultural significance

Some canyons have notable cultural significance. Evidence of

early homin Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

ids has been discovered in Africa's

Olduvai Gorge The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropology, paleoanthropological localities in the world; the many sites exposed by the gorge have proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human ev ...

. In the southwestern United States, canyons are important archeologically because of the many

cliff-dwelling In archeology, archaeology, cliff dwellings are dwellings formed by using niches or caves in high cliffs, and sometimes with excavation or additions in the way of masonry. Two special types of cliff dwelling are distinguished by archaeologist ...

s built in such areas, largely by the

ancient Pueblo people The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, an ...

who were their first inhabitants.

Notable examples

The following list contains only the most notable canyons of the world, arranged by continent and then country.

Africa

Namibia

South Africa

Blyde River Canyon The Blyde River Canyon is a 26km long Canyon located in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It is the one of the larger canyons on Earth but much smaller than those of Asia, the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon. Unlike the Grand and Fish River Canyon ...

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

Oribi Gorge Oribi Gorge is a canyon in southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 35 kilometres north-west of Port Shepstone, which itself is 120 km south of Durban. Oribi Gorge, cut by the Mzimkulwana River, is the eastern gorge of two gorges that cut ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

Tanzania

Americas

Argentina

* Atuel Canyon,

Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...

Brazil

* Itaimbezinho Canyon,

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

Canada

Grand Canyon of the Stikine The Grand Canyon of the Stikine is a stretch of the Stikine River in northern British Columbia, Canada. It has been compared to the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The canyon is home to a large population of mountain goats and other w ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

* Horseshoe Canyon,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the ed ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Ouimet Canyon Ouimet Canyon is a large gorge in the municipality of Dorion, Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada, about northeast of the city of Thunder Bay. The gorge is deep, wide and long, protected as part of Ouimet Canyon Provincial Pa ...

, Ontario

Colombia

Chicamocha Canyon The Chicamocha Canyon ( , es, Cañón del Chicamocha) is a steep sided canyon carved by the Chicamocha River in Colombia. With a maximum depth of , an area of and a length of , the canyon is the second-largest worldwide. The canyon is situated ...

, Santander Department

Mexico

* Barranca de Oblatos,

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

Copper Canyon Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico that is in size. The canyons were formed by six rivers th ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

Sumidero Canyon Sumidero Canyon ( es, Cañón del Sumidero) is a deep natural canyon located just north of the city of Chiapa de Corzo in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. The canyon's creation began around the same time as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. ...

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

Peru

Cañón del Pato Cañón del Pato (Spanish: Duck Canyon) is on the Rio Santa (Santa River) at the north end of the Callejón de Huaylas (Corridor of Huaylas) in north-central Peru. The mostly rocky canyon walls are too steep and arid for cultivation, and in only a ...

Ancash Region Ancash ( qu, Anqash; es, Áncash ) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital i ...

Arequipa Region Arequipa ( ay, Ariqipa; qu, Ariqipa) is a department and region in southwestern Peru. It is the sixth largest department in Peru, after Puno, Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto, its sixth most populous department, and its eleventh least ...

, Arequipa Region

United States

American Fork Canyon American Fork Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, United States. The canyon is famous for the Timpanogos Cave National Monument, which resides on its south side. It is named after the American Fork River, which runs through the b ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Antelope Canyon Navajo Upper Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon in the American Southwest, on Navajo land east of Lechee, Arizona. It includes five separate, scenic slot canyon sections on the Navajo Reservation, referred to as Upper Antelope Canyon (or The Crac ...

* Apple River Canyon,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Ausable Chasm Ausable Chasm is a sandstone gorge and tourist attraction located near the hamlet of Keeseville, New York, United States. It is directly due west of Port Kent. The Ausable River runs through it and then empties into Lake Champlain. The gorge is ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Big Cottonwood Canyon Big Cottonwood Canyon is a canyon in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The -long canyon provides hiking, biking, picnicking, rock-climbing, camping, and fishing in the summer. Its two ski resorts, Brig ...

Black Canyon of the Gunnison Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an American national park located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located east of Montrose, Colora ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Blackwater Canyon Blackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily wooded, long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. For many years, it has been the object of controversy as environmental activists have contended wit ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Blue Creek Canyon Blue Creek Canyon is a narrow, steep-walled canyon in Gunnison County, Colorado. It lies between Fitzpatrick Mesa and Blue Mesa and is south of Morrow Point Reservoir and southeast of Cimarron, Colorado. U.S. Highway 50 goes through the canyon. G ...

, Colorado *

Bluejohn Canyon Bluejohn Canyon (often mistakenly referred to as "Blue John Canyon") is a slot canyon in eastern Wayne County, Utah, United States. It is on BLM land just south of the boundary of the Horseshoe Canyon Unit of Canyonlands National Park. Descr ...

Box Canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

* Breaks Canyon,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and Virginia *Butterfield Canyon (Utah), Butterfield Canyon,

*Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, Cane Creek, Alabama *Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Canyon de Chelly, Arizona *Canyonlands National Park, canyons of the Colorado River and its main tributary the Green River (Colorado River), Green River,

*Cheat Canyon, West Virginia *John Bryan State Park, Clifton Gorge, Ohio *Clifty Falls State Park, Clifty Creek Falls, Indiana *Cloudland Canyon State Park, Cloudland Canyon, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia *Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington (state), Washington *Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve, Conkle's Hollow, Ohio *Cottonwood Canyon (Kane County, Utah), Cottonwood Canyon,

*Crooked River Gorge, Oregon *Death Hollow, Utah *Desolation Canyon, Utah *Dismals Canyon, Alabama *Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Flaming Gorge, Wyoming and Utah *Flume Gorge, New Hampshire *Glen Canyon, Utah and Arizona *Glenwood Canyon, Colorado *Gore Canyon, Colorado *

, Arizona *Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Wyoming *Grandstaff Canyon, Utah *Guffey Gorge (Colorado), Guffey Gorge, Colorado *Gulf Hagas, Maine *Hells Canyon, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (state), Washington *Horse Canyon (Garfield County, Utah), Horse Canyon, Utah *Kern River Canyon, California *Kings Canyon (Millard County, Utah), Kings Canyon,

*Kings Canyon National Park, Kings Canyon, California *Leslie Gulch, Oregon *Linville Gorge Wilderness, Linville Gorge, North Carolina *Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah *Little Grand Canyon, Illinois *Little River Canyon National Preserve, Little River Canyon, Alabama *Logan Canyon, Utah *Mather Gorge, Maryland *Marysvale Canyon, Utah *McCormick's Creek State Park, McCormick's Creek Canyon, Indiana *Millcreek Canyon (Salt Lake County, Utah), Millcreek Canyon, Utah *New River Gorge National River, New River Gorge, West Virginia *Ninemile Canyon (Utah), Ninemile Canyon, Utah *Ogden Canyon, Utah *Oneonta Gorge, Oregon *Palo Duro Canyon, Texas *Parleys Canyon, Utah *Pine Creek Gorge, Pennsylvania *Poudre Canyon, Colorado *Providence Canyon State Park, Providence Canyon, Georgia *Quechee Gorge, Vermont *Red River Gorge, Kentucky *Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico *Royal Gorge, Colorado *Ruby Canyon, Utah *Snake River, Snake River Canyon, Idaho *Snow Canyon State Park, Snow Canyon, Utah *Stillwater Canyon, Utah *Tallulah Gorge, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia *Tennessee River Gorge, Alabama and Tennessee *The Trough, West Virginia *Unaweep Canyon, Colorado *Uncompahgre Gorge, Colorado *Waimea Canyon State Park, Waimea Canyon, Hawaii *The Walls of Jericho (canyon), Walls of Jericho, Alabama *Weber Canyon, Utah *Westwater Canyon, Utah *Wolverine Canyon, Utah *White Canyon (San Juan County, Utah), White Canyon, Utah *Zion Canyon, Utah

Asia

China

*Three Gorges, Chongqing *Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan *Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Tibet Autonomous Region

India

*Gandikota, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh *Raneh Falls, Chatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh *Garadia Mahadev, Kota district, Rajasthan *Idukki, Western Ghats, Kerala

Indonesia

* Brown Canyon, Semarang, Central Java * Cukang Taneuh, Pangandaran, West Java

Pakistan

* Indus River Gorge through the Himalaya

Taiwan

*Taroko Gorge, Hualien County

Others

*Afghanistan – Tang-e Gharu *Japan – Tenryū-kyō in Nagano Prefecture *Kazakhstan – Charyn Canyon *Nepal –

*Russia - Delyun-Uran (Vitim River) *Turkey – Ihlara Valley in Aksaray Province Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, UK - Diliff

Europe

United Kingdom

*Avon Gorge, Bristol *Burrington Combe,

*Cheddar Gorge,

*Corrieshalloch Gorge, Ullapool *Ebbor Gorge,

*Gordale Scar, North Yorkshire *Winnats Pass, Derbyshire

France

*Ardèche Gorges, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes *Gorges de Daluis, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur *Gorges du Tarn, Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie *Grands Goulets, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes *Verdon Gorge, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Spain

*Tagus River Gorge, Guadalajara Province *Gallo River Gorge, Guadalajara Province *Guadalope River Gorge, Teruel Province *Lobos River Gorge, Soria Province

Russia

*Sulak Canyon, Dagestan

Ukraine

*Aktove canyon *Buky Canyon *Dniester Canyon

Others

*Albania – Osum Canyon *Bosnia and Herzegovina – Rakitnica, Drina, Neretva, Vrbas (river), Vrbas *Bulgaria – Trigrad Gorge, Kresna Gorge, Iskar Gorge *Finland – Korouoma Canyon *Germany – Partnach Gorge *Greece – Vikos Gorge, Samaria Gorge *Greenland – Greenland's Grand Canyon *Iceland – Fjaðrárgljúfur, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon *Kosovo – Rugova Canyon, White Drin Canyon, Kacanik Gorge *North Macedonia – Matka Canyon *Montenegro/Bosnia and Herzegovina – Tara River Canyon *Montenegro – Morača, Piva (river), Piva *Norway – Sautso, Sautso Canyon *Poland/Slovakia – Dunajec River Gorge *Serbia/Romania - Iron Gates *Slovenia – Vintgar Gorge *Switzerland – Aare Gorge Jamison valley frm wentworth falls

Block-up Gorge, Shoalhaven River - panoramio

Oceania

Australia

*Joffre Gorge, Karijini National Park, Western Australia *Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory *Kings Canyon (Northern Territory), Kings Canyon, Northern Territory *Murchison River Gorge, Western Australia *Jamison Valley, New South Wales *

, New South Wales – the world's second-widest canyon *Shoalhaven River, Shoalhaven Gorge, New South Wales *Werribee Gorge, Victoria (Australia), Victoria *The Slot canyon, Slot Canyons of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains, New South Wales

New Zealand

*Manawatu Gorge, North Island *Skippers Canyon, South Island

Canyons on other planetary bodies

*Ithaca Chasma on Saturn's moon Tethys (moon), Tethys *Valles Marineris on Mars, the largest-known canyon in the Solar System *Vid Flumina on Saturn's largest moon Titan (moon), Titan is the only known liquid-floored canyon in the Solar System besides Earth *Messina Chasmata on Uranus' moon Titania (moon), Titania Venus has many craters and canyons on its surface. The troughs on the planet are part of a system of canyons that is more than 6,400 km long.

References

External links

{{Authority control Canyons and gorges, Slope landforms

Etymology

Formation

Box canyon

Largest canyons

Cultural significance

Notable examples

Africa

Namibia

South Africa

Tanzania

Americas

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

Colombia

Mexico

Peru

United States

Asia

China

India

Indonesia

Pakistan

Taiwan

Others

Europe

United Kingdom

France

Spain

Russia

Ukraine

Others

Oceania

Australia

New Zealand

Canyons on other planetary bodies

See also

References

External links