Abyss Lookout
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- - At The Abyss, impressive canyon views are rivaled by the sheer vertical drop below, the longest such drop found anywhere along the South Rim (3000 ft/ 914 m).
This stop offers a unique place to discover how gravity can profoundly affect the shape of the canyon walls. At The Abyss, no fault line is present, meaning very little water runs into the canyon because it mostly drains to the south away from the rim.
This is unlike many of the other side canyons, which are usually caused by faults cutting through the rock walls and funneling water toward the Colorado River below. Instead, most of the erosion near The Abyss occurs because of gravity's constant pull on the rock face. While at The Abyss, notice the debris of white rocks littered over the red slopes below, showing the evidence of past rock falls.
from
NPS - nps.gov/places/000/the-abyss-hermit-road-red-route.htm
