【单选题】

Standing on the rim of the GrandCanyon, gazing across this giant wound in theEarth’s surface, a visitor might assume that the events that produced the canyon, far from being sudden and cataclysmic, simply add up to the slow and orderly process of erosion.

Many millions of years ago theColorado Plateau in the GrandCanyon area contained 10,000 more feet of rock than it does today and was relatively level. The additional material consisted of some 14 layered formations of rock. In the GrandCanyon region these layers were largely worn away over the course of millions of years.
Approximately 65 million years ago the plateau’s flat surface in the GrandCanyon area bulged upward from internal pressure; geologists refer to this bulging action as upwarping; it was followed by a general elevation of the wholeColorado Plateau. a process that is still going on.As the plateau gradually rose, shallow rivers that meandered across it began to run more swiftly and cut more definite courses. One of these rivers, located east of the upwarp, was the ancestor of theColorado.Another river system called the Hualapai, flowing west of the upwarp, extended itself eastward by cutting back into the upwarp; it eventually connected with the ancientColorado and captured its waters. The new river then began to carve out the 277-mile-long trench that eventually became the GrandCanyon. Geologists estimate that this initial cutting action began no earlier than 10 million years ago.
Since then, the canyon forming has been cumulative. To the erosive force of the river itself have been added other factors. Heat and cold, rain and snow. along with the varying resistance of the rocks, increase the opportunities for erosion. The canyon walls crumble; the river acquires a cutting tool, tons of debris; rainfall running off the high plateau creates feeder streams that carve side canyons. Pushing slowly backward into the plateau, the side canyons expose new rocks, and the pattern of erosion continues.
Which of the following conclusions about the GrandCanyon can be drawn from the passageA．Its contours are constantly changing.
B．It contains approximately 14 million tons of rock.
C．Its eruptions have increased in recent years.
D．It is being eroded by toxic waste and pollutants.