Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

© Nick Lake/Tandem Stills + Motio

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States

Carved by the Colorado River, nearly 2 billion years of Earth's history are exposed in the layers of the Grand Canyon. While geologists continue to debate parts of the formation story of the canyon, recent studies suggest the river carved its path through the region about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since then, the river has been deepening and widening the canyon while sculpting its dramatic geographic features.

Today, the Grand Canyon is much more than just a massive chasm with exceptional vistas. It's home to some stunning geographic features, like Zoroaster Temple, featured in today's image. This towering over 2,100-metre summit is in Coconino County in Arizona, United States. The peak was named after the ancient Iranian prophet Zoroaster by George Wharton James, an American photographer and journalist, and Clarence Dutton, an American geologist. Rick Tidrick and Dave Ganci made the first summit ascent of Zoroaster Temple in September 1958. This triumph marked the Grand Canyon's first technical climb, turning it into a hotspot and igniting a wave of summit-chasing climbers.