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The Rio Grande rift is a north-trending continental rift zone. It separates the Colorado Plateau in the west from the interior of the North American craton on the east. [ 1 ] The rift extends from central Colorado in the north to the state of Chihuahua , Mexico , in the south. [ 2 ]
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Geologically, the Rio Grande Gorge is a canyon, [1] carved out by erosion over the last several million years. [2] The Rio Grande Gorge and its river follow a topographical low within the larger Rio Grande Rift; a mixture of volcanic activity, shifting tectonic plates, and erosion of layers of gravels and lava yielded the recognizable narrow, deep gorge visible today.
Since 1848, the Rio Grande has marked the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the twin cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to the Gulf of Mexico. As such, crossing the river was the escape route used by some Texan slaves to seek freedom. Mexico had liberal colonization policies and had abolished slavery in 1828.
On November 24, 2009, the U.S. ceded six islands in the Rio Grande to Mexico. At the same time, Mexico ceded three islands and two bancos to the U.S. This transfer, which had been pending for 20 years, was the first application of Article III of the 1970 Boundary Treaty. [3] [4] [5]
NASA satellite photo of typical Basin and Range topography across central Nevada. The Basin and Range Province includes much of western North America.In the United States, it is bordered on the west by the eastern fault scarp of the Sierra Nevada and spans over 500 miles (800 km) to its eastern border marked by the Wasatch Fault, the Colorado Plateau and the Rio Grande Rift.
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km 2) [1] U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley , which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the world's largest high deserts located around mountains.
The Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) has changed course several times in recorded history, leading to a number of border disputes and uncertainties, both international (involving Mexico and the United States) and between individual U.S. states: The Country Club Dispute was a dispute between Texas and New Mexico.
Most of the remainder of the plateau is drained by the Rio Grande and its tributaries. [1] [2]: 395 The Colorado Plateau is largely made up of high desert, with scattered areas of forests. In the south-west corner of the Colorado Plateau lies the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. Much of the Plateau's landscape is related to the Grand Canyon ...