Colegiul National “Alexandru Odobescu”, Pitesti

Popa Elena

Clasa a XII a i

Atestat la Limba Engleza

The Seven Natural Wonders Of America

 Introduction
We all know the world is a pretty amazing place with some spectacular sites, ancient and modern,
manmade and natural. Our planet is a glorious place and everyone has their favorite world wonder
but as we move toward a more modern era things are changing just a bit.
We all learned about the ancient wonders of the world, which included the Lighthouse at Alexandria,
Egypt and the Colossus of Rhodes. The only one on that list still visible today are the Pyramids at
Giza and all of these were manmade.
Then we have the seven natural wonders of the world. But would it be if we made a list of seven
natural wonders of America?
America is blessed with diverse geographical beauty, with some places that stand out among the
rest, as true works of natural art.
1. Niagara Falls,Canada
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international
border between the Canadian province of Ontarioand the American state of New York.
They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.
From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American
Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lies on the border of the United
States and Canada[1] with the American Falls entirely on the United States' side,
separated by Goat Island. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also on the United States'
side, separated from the American Falls by Luna Island.
Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined
falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop
of more than 50 metres (160 ft). During peak daytime tourist hours, more than
168,000 m3 (six million cubic feet) of water goes over the crest of the falls every
minute.[2] Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as
measured by flow rate.[3]
The falls are 27 kilometres (17 mi) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, and 121
kilometres (75 mi) south-southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls,
Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Falls was formed when glaciers
receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the
newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to
the Atlantic Ocean.
Niagara Falls is famed both for its beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric
power. Balancing recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge
for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century.
 The area around Niagara Falls called the Niagara Escarpment is one of the most
unique geologic features on the planet. Formed thousands of years ago by advancing
and retreating ice sheets, the Great Lakes were created by the melting ice and the
mighty Niagara Falls were an additional result.
Of course, the science behind it is much more complex but to put it simply, the
Great Lakes were formed and the Niagara River connected Lake Ontario with Lake
Erie. Land shifted and created the series of waterfalls we know today. As far as
geology goes Niagara is the clear winner when it comes to natural wonders.
2 . Yosemite Valley,California
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra
Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about 7.5 miles (12 km) long and approximately
3000–3500 feet deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and
densely forested with pines. The valley is drained by the Merced River, and a multitude of streams
and waterfalls flow into it, including Tenaya, Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks. Yosemite
Falls is the highest waterfall in North America, and is a big attraction especially in the spring when the
water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural environment, and is regarded as the
centerpiece of Yosemite National Park, attracting visitors from around the world.
The Valley is the main attraction in the park for the majority of visitors, and a bustling hub of activity
during tourist season in the summer months. Most visitors enter the valley from roads to the west and
pass through the Tunnel View entrance. Visitor facilities are located in the center of the valley. There
are both hiking trail loops that stay within the valley and trailheads that lead to higher elevations, all of
which afford glimpses of the park's many scenic wonders.

President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill on June 30, 1864 granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa
Grove of giant sequoias to the State of California "for public use, resort and recreation," the two tracts
"shall be inalienable for all time". [19] This was the first time in history that a federal government had set
aside scenic lands simply to protect them and to allow for their enjoyment by all people.
Simply designating an area a park isn't sufficient to protect it. California did not set up an
administration for the park until 1866, when the state appointed Galen Clark as the park's guardian.
An 11-year struggle followed to resolve homesteading claims in the valley. The challenge of
increasing tourism, with the need to first build stagecoach roads, then the Yosemite Valley Railroad,
along with hotels and other facilities in and around the Valley was met during the rest of the 19th
century.
Due to the difficulty of traveling there, early visitors to the valley came for several weeks to a couple
of months, often as entire families with many possessions. Early hotels were therefore set up for
extended stays and catered primarily to wealthy patrons who could spend extended periods away
from home. One of these hotels—the Wawona Hotel, built in the 1880s—still operates.
After the Valley became a park, the surrounding territory was still subject to logging, mining, and
grazing. John Muir publicized the damage to the subalpine meadows that surround the Valley and in
1890, the government created a national park that included a much larger territory—enclosing
Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove.
3.Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of
southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern.
Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the
visitor center.

An estimated 250 million years ago, the area surrounding Carlsbad Caverns National Park served as
the coastline for an inland sea. Present in the sea was a plethora of marine life, whose remains
formed a reef. Unlike modern reef growths, the Permianreef contained bryozoans, sponges, and
other microorganisms. After the Permian Period, most of the water evaporated and the reef was
buried by evaporites and other sediments. Tectonic movement occurred during the late Cenozoic,
uplifting the reef above ground. Susceptible to erosion, water sculpted the Guadalupe Mountain
region into its present-day state.

Carlsbad Cavern includes a large limestone chamber, named simply the Big Room, which is almost
4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at its highest point. The
Big Room is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world.
The Carlsbad Caverns Park is home to hundreds of caves, filled with stunning stalactites and
stalagmites. The area was discovered and explored by a young boy called Jim White. Jim tried to tell
people about his amazing discovery but many thought he was lying. In the 1980's, the writing "J.
White, 1898" was found on the wall of one of the caves, confirming White's story.

The Big Room:

Doll Theatre :

Papoose Room:

4. The Wave , Arizona

The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, United States, near its northern border
with Utah. The formation is situated on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion
Cliffs Wilderness of the Colorado Plateau. The area is administered by the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument visitor center in Kanab,
Utah.[1]
The formation is well-known among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating forms and
the difficult hike required to reach it. Due to the fragile nature of the formation and the large number of
people wishing to visit it, a daily lottery system is used to dispense only ten next-day permits in
person at the Kanab visitor center.
The Wave consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into Navajo
Sandstone of Jurassic age. The two major troughs which comprise this rock formation are 62 feet
(19 m) wide by 118 feet (36 m) long and 7 feet (2 m) wide by 52 feet (16 m) long. Initially, infrequent
runoff eroded these troughs along joints within the Navajo Sandstone. After their formation, the
drainage basin, which fed rainwater to these troughs, shrank to the point that the runoff became
insufficient to contribute to the cutting of these troughs. As a result, the troughs are now almost
exclusively eroded by wind, as indicated by the orientation of erosional steps and risers cut into the
sandstone along their steep walls. These erosional steps and risers are oriented relative to the
predominant direction of the wind as it is now naturally funneled into and through these troughs.
 Only 20 people per day are allowed to hike out to this Jurassic-age sandstone formation in the
remote Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, but all of the advance planning required to see
this breathtaking place is totally worth it.
An ideal time to photograph the Wave is the few hours around midday when there are no shadows in
the center, although early morning and late afternoon shadows can also make for dramatic photos.
After a rain storm, numerous pools form which can contain hundreds of tadpole shrimps (Lepidurus
apus). These pools can be present for several days.
Above and slightly west of the Wave is what many call "the Second Wave", or "the middle Wave",
which has fainter colors but is still of interest to most visitors and photographers. Hugo Martin from
the Los Angeles Times said, "You can't call yourself a landscape photographer if you haven't
snapped a photo or two of the Wave."
5. Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States.
For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built
settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon
a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon
was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.

Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its
tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado
Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by
geologists  several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its
course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven
the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the
canyon.
For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built
settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon
a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon
was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The Grand Canyon is considered one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World. Within its cracks and
bends, the Grand Canyon tells a story of the Native American people, and the roots and history of our
nation. The Grand Canyon is essentially surrounded by various Native American tribes and
reservations, including the Navajo Nation Reservation. The Navajo Nation Reservation, spans 27,000
square miles and spreads across three states: Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. Within its borders lies
monuments, national parks, and of course, Navajo people living traditional lifestyles.
The diverse, beautiful colors of the mile-deep Grand Canyon are a sight to behold. The canyon runs
277 river miles and varies in width between 600 feet and 18 miles. Keeping the Grand Canyon grand
is a dry climate that keeps the gorge from widening, leading to its extraordinary depths. Explore the
geology of the canyon by taking a guided tour from the National Park Service or other local tour
group. The tours can be as active as you want them to be. Be sure to ask about the greatest mystery
of the Grand Canyon: the Kaibab limestone found at its top layer. The deposit was created at the
bottom of the ocean, and was somehow lifted 9,000 feet, where it sits today.

The park is mostly a desert environment and lacks green vegetation. However the lack of the plants
doesn’t discourage any geologists. The rock layers at the park show little signs of wearing out. Most of
the layers have been preserved, no where else on the Earth displays so many different layers of the
earths history. 

The parks most famous animal is the Californian Condor, it can be seen flying near the Grand Canyon
Village located on the South Rim of the canyon. Common birds include, Stellar’s Jays, Swallows
Hummingbirds, and the always entertaining Ravens. There are mule deer which are very common.
Some of the largest elk can be found in the park. Desert Big Horn Sheep can be sighted also but rarely.
You can see them mostly in the inner canyon. The park has there pack of coyotes just like everywhere
else, but if you stop and take a few moment to listen you just might be able to hear their song.
Predators in the park can consist of mountain lions and bobcats. The park does have a few black bears
but they are very rare to be spotted. The favorite animal among the tourist is the Albert’s Squirrel.
6. Huatulco National Park
Huatulco National Park, also known as Bahias de Huatulco National Park is a national park
of Oaxaca, Mexico. It was initially declared a protected area and later decreed as a National Park on
July 24, 1998. Located in the Municipality of Santa María Huatulco, to the west of Cruz Huatulco, it
extends to an area of 11,890 ha (29,400 acres). In the low lands of the park, there are 9,000 species
of plants (about 50% of the species are reported throughout the country) in the forest and mangroves
in the coastal belt. Fauna species have been identified as 264, which includes armadillos and white-
tailed deer. Bird species are counted at 701, which include hummingbirds, pelicans and hawks.
The reptile species are counted to be 470, which include Black
Iguana, salamanders and snakes. Dolphins, whales and turtles are sighted species off the coast line,
out of the identified 100 amphibian species. Vegetation is dominated by the low forest growth of
caducifolia in 80% of the area with the unusual feature of 50 ft (15 m) high trees.
Huatulco National Park includes approximately only 60% of the species of corals in ste State of Oaxaca.

In 1998, the Mexican government declared Parque Nacional Huatulco a Natural Protected
Area in the Diario Oficial de la Federation (the government's official gazette). This was done to
preserve the natural and cultural resources of the southern coast of Oaxaca, especially in the
municipality of Santa Marfa Huatulco.
With this declaration, the protection of more than 413 species of plants. 130 species and
subspecies of mammals. 291 species of birds, approximately 72 species of reptiles and about
15 species of amphibians, that represent a large amount of the landscapes, plants and
animals that make up part of the heritage of the region, the country and the world, was
guaranteed. This was also done to promote the implementation of scientific, educational,
recreational and cultural activities in order to preserve, restore, manage, rationalize and
sustain.

Huatulco is rich in marine life. They include oysters, lobster, shrimp, dolphin, turtle, red snapper,
clam, snail and occasionally whales. It is worth mentioning that the bays of Huatulco are one of the
major ecosystems of the Mexican Republic to such a degree that the President is declared it a
protected area that eventually became National Park Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon. The first
proposal was made by the secretariats of environment, natural resources and fisheries, marine and
communications and transport in 1997.
7. Mendenhall Glacier Caves, Alaska, SUA
CONTENTS
Introduction…………………………………………………2
Niagara Falls………………………………………………...3
Yosemite Valley…………………………………………6
Carlsbad Caverns………………………………………...9
The Wave………………………………………….……11
Grand Canyon…………………………………………..14
Huatulco National Park…………………………………18
Mendenhall Glacier Caves………………………….…..22

Bibliography:
http://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=24541
https://www.niagarafallscrowneplazahotel.com/blog/2016/09/niagara-falls-new-8th-
wonder-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_Caverns_National_Park
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon
https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Grand-Canyon-Report-P3JZHVNKTJ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huatulco_National_Park
https://amuraworld.com/en/topics/by-the-world/articles/3631-huatulco-national-
park