The walls of the Grand Canyon are made of layers of sandstone. A dike cuts across some of the layers. When did the dike form?

Question

after the sandstone formed and before erosion revealed the canyon wall

before the sandstone formed

at the same time as the sandstone formed and the canyon was eroded

after erosion revealed the canyon wall

Answer 1

A dike is a type of geological formation that typically occurs when magma intrudes into existing rock layers and then solidifies. In the context of the Grand Canyon, the dike would have formed after the sandstone layers formed and before erosion revealed the canyon wall. This means the correct answer is:

after the sandstone formed and before erosion revealed the canyon wall.

This sequence of events indicates that the sandstone layers were already in place when the dike intrusion occurred, and the subsequent erosion then exposed both the sandstone and the dike in the canyon walls.