The Colorado River meanders beneath the high cliffs of Marble Canyon in this photograph of Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. The normally muddy brown waters of the Colorado acquire this unnatural turquoise tint due to the effects of Glen Canyon Dam located upstream from this location. As the rivers heavy load of mud, sand and silt settles out into the stagnant waters of Lake Powell above the dam, a meager flow of clear green water exits at the base of the dam to begin its journey through the Grand Canyon. Marble Canyon was created over millions of years as the once-raging waters of the Colorado River sliced down through a thick layer of Redwall Limestone. The snow-covered rim of the Kaibab Plateau looms in the distance. Not far downstream from this location, the Colorado begins to cut into this 9,000-high plateau to form the deepest portion of Grand Canyon. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.