Science
It's the lifeline of the Southwest. The Rio Grande flows for almost 2,000 miles, from the snowy San Juan Mountains to subtropical plains and the Gulf of Mexico. Yet most of its journey is through the desert, and its impact here is immense. Many communities wouldn't exist without it. Wildlife relies upon it. And in the canyons of the Big Bend, it's created some of the most spectacular landscapes in Texas. This desert lifeline owes its existence to a powerful tectonic phenomenon known as the Rio Grande Rift. The river didn't form overnight – the evolution of the Rio Grande is a multi-million-year story, one that geologists continue to decipher. Beginning more than 30 million years... Hosted by for KRTS