Tour the historic mines in the Grand Canyon and discover what minerals the Canyon holds.
Minerals and Mines in the Grand Canyon
What: Virtual Tour of historic mines in the Grand Canyon and the minerals found in them.
Virtual Tour Length: 10 to 15 minutes
Tour of mines and minerals of the Grand Canyon
This tour will take you through the history of minerals and mining in what are now the Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. From copper minerals used as paints and dyes to bat guano used as fertilizer, humans have been collecting and using mineral resources in the Grand Canyon for as long as they have been visiting and inhabiting the canyon. Explore the various minerals of the Canyon, how those minerals came to be in the Canyon, the mines they were mined from, and learn a little about the history of the people who tried to make a living in the canyon by mining. The story of mining and the minerals in the Canyon is one of hopes, mistakes, geopolitics, and most of all, humans.
How to Use this Tour:
The virtual tour of mines and minerals in the Grand Canyon uses Google Earth Web and is most easily viewed with the free Google Earth app for smart devices or via the most recent version of the Chrome web browser. Once the tour loads you will be taken to the tour start page. When you have read a little about the history of mining in the Grand Canyon, scroll down and press the red "Tour Start!" button to begin. Each stop on the tour will include some historic pictures of people, places, and minerals relevant to the mine and a short description of the mine on the right, and a Google Earth window on the left where you can explore the area around the mine using Google Earth navigation. When you are ready to move on, just click the turquoise colored button found at the bottom of the mine description.