For more than 20 years, Paradise Valley Community College’s Residential Geography Faculty John Douglass has been captivated by the perplexing idea that the Colorado River (one of the nation’s longest rivers passing through five states, 11 national parks and Mexico) crossed a mountain and a plateau to form the 277-miles long Grand Canyon. He has spent countless hours studying and working on the formation of the Grand Canyon - one of the seven natural wonders of the world - beginning with his Master’s degree from Northern Arizona University and Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He has written four papers, the most recent one published last month - Evidence for the Overflow Origin of the Grand Canyon.
His latest paper, which has been in the works for approximately three years, was published by Geomorphology, and explores the origins of the Grand Canyon and his overflow theory. It encapsulates his work in the field and collaborative research with other scientists, providing insight into our Earth and how the Grand Canyon may have come to be. Douglass’ theory about how the Grand Canyon formed was also highlighted on National Geographic and the History Channel.
Relieved to have the project behind him and published, he said there is still a lot more work to be done and he will continue his work on the Grand Canyon. Currently, Douglass is helping a friend write a paper on the history of the Gila River.
Besides being a geography faculty at PVCC, Douglass is also the co-director of our Honors Program.