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2018 Map of Explorers Monument

Name: 2018 Topographic Map of Explorers Monument
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2018
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2018

About this map

Grand Canyon National Park serves as the focal point for this survey, revealing the complex geological stair-steps and named landmarks of the canyon's South Rim and interior. The Colorado River snakes through the Granite Gorge, marked by high-energy water features including Hakatai Rapids and Waltenberg Rapids. Landforms named for global explorers and ancient civilizations dominate the topography, with notable heights like Explorers Monument and Mt Huethawali rising above broad terraces such as Marcos Terrace and De Vaca Terrace. These naming conventions reflect the early twentieth-century efforts to provide a thematic geography to the canyon's immense scale.

In the southern reaches of the quadrangle, the landscape transitions into the Kaibab National Forest. Evidence of land use and water management appears through features like Mexican Jack Tank, Big Jim Tank, and Hidden Log Tank, while the Topocoba Hilltop Rd provides a rare corridor through the undulating terrain. Deep recesses like Elves Chasm and Royal Arch illustrate the erosive power of seasonal flows into the main river corridor.