Nui nā mea i ʻōlelo ʻia e pili ana i nā dinosaur i nā manawa i hala aku nei a ʻike mākou ua noho lākou i nā wahi like ʻole o ka ʻāina i ko mākou ʻāina i kēia manawa, ʻoiai aia ma kahi mamao loa i ka wā i nalowale ai lākou, ʻaʻole i loaʻa ka Sierra Madre Occidental. Ua lawe ʻia he mau miliona miliona no kēia massif nui, a me ia ʻo Sierra Tarahumara, e ala aʻe ai.
Ma kahi o 40 miliona mau makahiki i hala aku nei, i ke au Tertiary, ka ʻĀkau komohana o ka mea i kēia manawa ʻo Mexico i ʻeha ʻia e ka luaʻi pele, kahi hanana i kū mau ma mua o 15 miliona mau makahiki. Ua hū nā pele he mau tausani ma nā wahi a pau, e uhi ana i kahi ākea me kā lākou lehu o ka pele a me ka lehu pele. Ua hoʻokumu ʻia kēia mau waihona i nā pā nui o ka sierra, a ua hōʻea kekahi o lākou i kahi kiʻekiʻe ma mua o 3,000 m ma luna o ka ʻilikai.
ʻO ka lua pele, pili mau ʻia me ka hana a me nā neʻe ʻana o tectonic, hāʻawi i nā hewa geological nui i kumu i nā haki i ka pā a hana i nā māwae hohonu. ʻO kekahi o kēia mau mea ʻaneʻane hiki aku i 2000 m ka hohonu. Me ka hala ʻana o ka manawa a me ka hana o ka wai, ua a me nā kahawai lalo i hoʻokumu i nā kahawai a me nā kahawai i hui pū i ka hohonu o nā kahawai a me nā awawa, e hoʻonui ana iā lākou ma ka hoʻohaʻahaʻa ʻana a me ka holoi ʻana i kā lākou mau kahawai. ʻO ka hopena o kēia mau miliona mau makahiki o ka evolution a hiki iā mākou ke ʻoliʻoli i kēia ʻōnaehana nui o Barrancas del Cobre.
Na awawa nui a me ko lākou mau muliwai
Loaʻa nā muliwai nui o ka sierra ma waena o nā awawa nui loa. ʻO nā mea āpau o ka Sierra Tarahumara, koe wale nō ʻo Conchos, kahe i ke Kahawai o Kaleponi; e waiho ana kona mau kahe ma nā awāwa nui o nā mokuʻāina ʻo Sonora a me Sinaloa. Hele ʻo ka muliwai Conchos i kahi huakaʻi lōʻihi ma waena o nā kuahiwi, kahi i hānau ʻia ai, a laila hele i nā pāpū a me nā wao akua ʻo Chihuahuan e hui pū me Rio Grande a puka i ke kahawai ʻo Mexico.
Nui nā mea i kūkākūkā ʻia e pili ana i ka hohonu o nā awāwa o ka honua, akā e like me ka American Richard Fisher, nā awāwa ʻo Urique (me 1,879 m), Sinforosa (me 1,830 m) a me Batopilas (me 1,800 m) e noho ana ma nā wahi o ka honua. ka walu, ka ʻeiwa a me ka ʻumi, ma luna o ka Grand Canyon, ma ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa (1,425 m).
Nā wailele kilohana
ʻO nā hiʻohiʻona ʻoi loa o ka Copper Canyon kona mau wailele, i hoʻonohonoho ʻia ma waena o nā mea nui loa o ka honua. Kū ka Piedra Volada a me Basaseachi i waho. ʻO ka mea mua he wailele 45 m, ʻo ia ka hā a ʻelima paha ka nui ma ka honua, a ʻo ia ka mea kiʻekiʻe ma Mekiko. ʻO ka loaʻa ʻana o kēia wailele i kēia mau lā a no ka ʻimi ʻana o ka Cuauhtémoc City Speleology Group.
ʻO ka wailele ʻo Basaseachi, i ʻike ʻia no 100 mau makahiki, ke kiʻekiʻe o 246 m., Na ia mau wahi e helu 22 ma ka honua, ka 11 ma ʻAmelika a ʻo ka ʻelima kiʻekiʻe loa ma ʻAmelika ʻĀkau. Ma Mekiko ka lua. Ma waho aʻe o kēia mau mea ʻelua, he nui aku nā wailele ʻoi aku ka nui a me ka nani e puʻunaue ʻia i ka pae mauna.
Ke anilā
Ma muli o ka haki a kiki ʻole hoʻi, hōʻike nā awāwa i nā anilā like ʻole, ʻokoʻa a i kekahi manawa lōʻihi loa, ma loko o ka ʻāina like. Ma ka laulaha, aia he mau wahi ʻelua e kū nei ma ka Sierra Tarahumara: ʻo ka plateaus a me nā kuahiwi i nā ʻaoʻao kiʻekiʻe o ka pae mauna a me ka lalo o nā awawa.
Ma kahi kiʻekiʻe ma mua o 1,800 mau mika ma luna o ke kai, ke aniau mai ke aniau a anuanu i ka hapa nui o ka makahiki, me ka ua liʻiliʻi i ka hoʻoilo a me nā wā hau nui e hāʻawi i ka nani a me ka hanohano i nā kahakai. A laila hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā mahana ma lalo o 0 kekelē Celsius, a i kekahi manawa e hāʻule i lalo o 23 degere Celsius.
I ke kauwela, hōʻike nā kuahiwi i ko lākou nani nani, pinepine ka ua, hele a ʻōmaʻomaʻo ke kahakai a piha nā awāwa i nā pua me nā kala like ʻole. ʻO ke anawaena mahana he 20 kekelē Celsius, ʻokoʻa loa i ke koena o ka mokuʻāina ʻo Chihuahua, kiʻekiʻe loa i kēia manawa o ka makahiki. Hāʻawi ʻo Sierra Tarahumara i kekahi o nā kauwela ʻoluʻolu i ka ʻāina holoʻokoʻa.
ʻOkoʻa, ke aniau ma lalo o ka Copper Canyon he subtropical a ʻo kona hoʻoilo ka mea hauʻoli loa, no ka mea mālama ia i nā mahana maʻamau o 17 kekelē Celsius. Ma ka ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe, i ke kau kau, kaumaha ke aniau Barranco, piʻi ka awelika i 35 kekelē Celsius, a ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā mahana a hiki i 45 kekelē Celsius ma ia wahi. ʻO ka ua ua nui i ke kauwela e hoʻonui i ke kahe o nā wailele, nā kahawai a me nā kahawai e piʻi i ko lākou kahawai kiʻekiʻe.
Meaolaolaola
ʻO ke kūpikipiki a me ke kiʻekiʻe hoʻi o ka palapala ʻāina, me nā pali i hiki ai iā lākou ke ʻoi aku ma mua o 2,000 m i kekahi mau mile, a ʻo nā hoʻohālikelike ākea e hoʻopuka nei i ka waiwai nui a me nā ʻano olaola i nā kuahiwi. Nui nā flora a me nā holoholona i loko ona, ʻo ia hoʻi, ʻaʻole i loaʻa lākou i kekahi ʻāpana ʻē aʻe o ka honua.
Uhi ʻia ka mauʻu e nā ululāʻau nani a nani hoʻi kahi e nui ai ka pine, ʻoiai ʻo nā ʻoka, popela, junipers (i kapa ʻia ʻo nā táscates), nā alders a me nā lāʻau strawberry e hoʻonui pū kekahi. Aia he 15 mauʻano o nā pine a me 25 o nā ʻoka. ʻO nā ululāʻau hanohano o Guadalupe y Calvo, Madera a me ka moku Basaseachi hāʻawi iā mākou i ka hoʻomaka ʻana o ka hāʻule i kahi ʻike kupaianaha, i ka wā o nā popla a me nā alders, ma mua o ka nalowale ʻana o kā lākou lau, loaʻa nā leo melemele, ʻalani a ʻulaʻula e like me ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo o nā pine, nā ʻoka a me nā junipers. I ke kauwela e pua a piha ka pae mauna i nā kala, ʻo ia ka manawa e hauʻoli ai ka ʻokoʻa o kāna pua. ʻO ka hapa nui o nā pua, nui i kēia manawa, hoʻohana ʻia e ka Tarahumara i kā lākou lāʻau lapaʻau a me nā meaʻai.
Aia kekahi kuʻuna o nā kaiāulu mea kanu mai nā kiʻekiʻe waena o ka sierra a i ka hohonu o nā awāwa kahi e hoʻonui ai nā lāʻau. Nā kumulāʻau like ʻole a me nā cacti: mauto (Lysiloma dívaricata), cicicote (Erythrína flaveliformis), ocotillo (Fourqueria splendens), pitaya (Lemaíreocereus thurberi), cardón (Pachycereus pectenife), tabachín (Caesalpinia pulcherungaves (Avegagagaga) lechugilla), sotol (Dasylirio wheeleri), a me nā ʻano ʻē aʻe he nui. I nā wahi ʻūlū aia kekahi mau ʻano e like me ceiba (Ceiba sp), nā lāʻau fiku (Ficus spp), guamuchil (Pithcollobium dulce), ʻohe (Otateʻohe), burseras (Bursera spp) a me nā lianas a me nā lianas, a me nā mea ʻē aʻe ʻē aʻe.
Noho pū ka holoholona o ka Copper Canyon i nā wahi mehana a wela paha. ʻAneʻane 30% o nā laha o nā māmela terrestrial i hoʻopaʻa inoa ʻia ma Mekiko i kēia pae mauna, e hoʻokaʻawale nei iā lākou iho: ʻo ka bear black (Ursus americanus), ka puma (Felis concolor), ka otter (Lutra canadensis), ke dia huelo keʻokeʻo ( ʻO Odocoileus virginianus), ka ʻīlio wahine Wīlika (Canis lupus baileyi) i manaʻo ʻia no ka make ʻana, ka puaʻa hihiu (Tayassutajacu), ka pōpoki ahiu (Lynx rufus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), ka pihi a cholugo paha (Taxidea taxus) a me ka skunk striped (Mephitis macroura), me ka hoʻohui pū i nā ʻano ʻōpeʻapeʻa he nui, nā squirrels a me nā hares.
Ua hoʻopaʻa ʻia nā ʻano manu he 290: he 24 o lākou endemik a he 10 i ka makaʻu o ka make e like me ka macaw ʻōmaʻomaʻo (Ara militaris), ka pāka mauna (Rbynchopsitta pachyrbyncha) a me ka coa (Euptilotis noxenus). I nā ʻāpana kaʻawale loa, ʻike mau ʻia ka lele ʻana o ka ʻaetoeto (Aquila chsaetos) a me ka falcon peregrine (Falco peregrinus). Aia i waena o nā manu nā manu ʻāhiu, nā kuhukukū ʻāhiu, nā ʻūlū, nā buzzards, a me nā puʻu. Ua hōʻea nā tausani o nā manu neʻe i ka hoʻoilo, ʻo ia hoʻi nā geese a me nā ʻāpiki e heʻe ana i ke anuanu ikaika o ka ʻākau o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa a me Kanada. Loaʻa iā ia he 87 ʻano o nā mea kolo a me 20 o nā amphibians, o ka 22 mua he endemik a o ka lua he 12 kēia ʻano.
Aia he 50 mau ʻano iʻa iʻa hou, e ʻai ʻia kekahi e like me ke ānuenue (Salmo gardneri), besolo nui (Micropterus salmoides), mojarra (Lepomis macrochirus), sardine (Algansea lacustris), iʻa iʻa (Ictalurus punctatus) , ka carp (Cyprinus carpio) a me ka charal (Chirostoma bartoni).
Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad
ʻO kekahi o nā hana ʻenekini hoihoi loa i hana ʻia ma Mekiko i loko o kahi hanana kupaianaha o ka Copper Canyon: ke alahao Chihuahua al Pacífico, i hoʻokumu ʻia ma Nowemapa 24, 1961 i mea e hoʻolaha ai i ka hoʻomohala ʻana o ka Sierra Tarahumara, e hāʻawi ana iā Chihuahua kahi puka i ke kai ma waena o Sinaloa.
Hoʻomaka kēia ala ma Ojinaga, hele ma ke kūlanakauhale ʻo Chihuahua, hele i ka Sierra Tarahumara a iho i ke kahakai o Sinaloa, ma o Los Mochis e pau ai ma Topolobampo. ʻO ka lōʻihi o kēia laina alahao ʻo 941 km a he 410 mau alahaka o nā lōʻihi like ʻole, ʻo ka lōʻihi ʻo Río Fuerte me ka hapalua kilomika a me ka kiʻekiʻe loa o Río Chínipas me 90 m. Loaʻa iā ia nā tunnels 99 he 21.2 km ka lōʻihi, ʻo El Descanso ka lōʻihi loa, ma ka palena ma waena o Chihuahua a me Sonora, me ka lōʻihi o 1.81 km a me ka Continental i Creel, me 1.26 km I kona ala e piʻi ai i 2,450 mau mika ma luna o ka pae o ka kai.
Ke hele nei ke ala kaʻaahi i kekahi o nā wahi kaha ʻoi loa o ka sierra, holo ma waena o ka Barranca del Septentrión, 1,600 m ka hohonu, a me kekahi mau kiko ma ke kahawai ʻo Urique, ka hohonu o nā mea a pau o Mekiko. ʻO ka ʻāina ma waena o Creel, Chihuahua, a me Los Mochis, Sinaloa ka mea kupaianaha loa. Ua hoʻokumu ʻia kēia kūkulu kaʻaahi e ka mokuʻāina ʻo Chihuahua i 1898, a hiki i Creel i ka makahiki 1907. Ua pau ka hana a hiki i ka makahiki 1961.
