KnowraCanyonCanyonA canyon is a deep valley with steep sides, usually carved over long periods by a river cutting into rock.BriefConnectRiver incision: The downward cutting of a river into its bed and underlying rock. Persistent river incision is the main process that deepens many canyons.Grand Canyon: A vast canyon in Arizona carved chiefly by the Colorado River. Its exposed rock layers record a long history of river incision and landscape change.Valley: An elongated low area between higher ground, commonly shaped by rivers or glaciers. A canyon is a steep-walled, deeply incised kind of valley.Gorge: A narrow, steep-sided valley, often carved by a river. Gorge and canyon overlap in usage, though gorge often emphasizes narrowness.Headward erosion: Erosion that extends a stream channel upstream toward its source. It can extend a canyon farther into a landscape.Fish River Canyon: A large canyon in southern Namibia containing the deeply incised Fish River. Its arid setting highlights how a river can carve a canyon over geological time.River: A natural flowing body of water that moves across land toward a larger water body. Rivers supply the flow that commonly cuts and drains canyons.Glacial valley: A valley widened and deepened by the movement of glacier ice. Unlike most canyons, its characteristic shape comes from glacial erosion.Differential erosion: Uneven wearing away of materials with different resistance to erosion. Contrasts in rock resistance help shape canyon walls and ledges.Colca Canyon: A deep canyon in southern Peru cut by the Colca River. Its steep relief reflects river erosion in an uplifting Andean landscape.Show all 21Linked from 14 pagesRobert RauschenbergBroader topic: Its unconventional materials grew from the artist’s early experiments with objects and painting.Bret Easton EllisRelated: Ellis’s screenplay brought his interest in Hollywood’s power dynamics into a film about the industry.Rock shelterNarrower topic: Canyons are broader landforms in which cliffs and rock shelters may occur.WadiCompared with: A canyon emphasizes valley shape, while wadi emphasizes an arid channel's intermittent flow.Fluvial erosionBroader topic: Persistent vertical erosion can carve deep gorges and canyons.Ennedi PlateauRelated: Canyons channel runoff and expose layered rock across the massif.Grand Canyon National ParkNarrower topic: The park’s central landform is a large example of this broader feature.RavineCompared with: Canyons generally denote larger landforms than ravines.Show all 14