Late Miocene Colorado River arrival in the Bidahochi basin supports spillover origin of Grand Canyon
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Abstract
The timing and mechanism of the integration of the Colorado River and incision of the Grand Canyon remain among geology’s enduring controversies. A key question is the configuration of the upper Colorado River watershed between 11 and 6 million years ago. In this study, we present new evidence from zircon uranium-lead geochronology for the arrival of distinctive Colorado–Green River sediment in the Bidahochi basin by 6.6 million years ago derived from the Browns Park Formation. This is coeval with an order-of-magnitude increase in depositional rate, an increase in carbonate strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) ratios, the appearance of large fish species characteristic of fast-flowing waters, and other sedimentological changes. This evidence is consistent with the Colorado River supplying water and sediment to the Bidahochi basin before spillover integration of the river through the Grand Canyon.
Suggested Citation
He, J.J., Crow, R.S., Douglass, J.R., Holm-Denoma, C., Vazquez, J.A., Gootee, B.F., Lidzbarski, M.I., Pianowski, L., Gray, H., Heitmann, E., Pearthree, P., House, K., and Dulin, S., 2026, Late Miocene Colorado River arrival in the Bidahochi basin supports spillover origin of Grand Canyon: Science, v. 395, no. 6795, p. 285-295, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adz6826.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Late Miocene Colorado River arrival in the Bidahochi basin supports spillover origin of Grand Canyon |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.adz6826 |
| Volume | 395 |
| Issue | 6795 |
| Publication Date | April 16, 2026 |
| Year Published | 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | AAAS |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 285 |
| Last page | 295 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona, Nevada, Utah |
| Other Geospatial | Bidahochi basin, Colorado River, Grand Canyon |