Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia is home to Providence Canyon, also known as “The Little Grand Canyon”. This canyon formed because of clearcutting of trees and farming. The land’s history began millions of years ago when sediments were deposited under ancient seas and coastal beaches. These delicate ribbons of sand were protected by trees and other plants. Farming practices and tree clearing in the early 1800s exposed the sandy sediment to the destructive power of unmanaged rainwater runoff. This process, in less than 25 years, created the canyon we see today!
As I hiked down to the canyon floor, I noticed that the canyon floor had water flowing across it. This was the place where the rainwater had travelled to erode the land. As I made my way in to the canyon, I noticed that some of the rocks at the bottom had fossils of sea creatures on them! This is because Providence Canyon was an ocean before!
I had so much fun hiking and learning about Providence Canyon!