Nature’s Erosion in Action
It seems simple enough: a river encounters a cliff, creating a waterfall. But where did the cliff come from? Of course, it could occur as the result of an earthquake in the streambed of the river, but usually, it’s the river itself that forms the waterfall.
Waterfalls form in areas where hard rock meets soft rock. Initially, the river flows along a straight channel, but over time the soft rock begins to erode. A plunge pool forms, with a ledge hanging over it — that’s how a waterfall is created. However, hard rock can’t resist the water flow forever; the rocky ledge eventually wears away, causing the waterfall to “recede” towards the river source. For example, Niagara Falls moves backward by about about 12 in a year!
</blockquote> <h3>Waterfall Formation</h3> <img width="715" height="515" src="https://oyla.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scheme01.jpg" alt="Waterfall Formation" /> <img width="715" height="517" src="https://oyla.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scheme02-1.jpg" alt="Waterfall Formation" /> <img width="715" height="645" src="https://oyla.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scheme03.jpg" alt="Waterfall Formation" /> <img width="715" height="640" src="https://oyla.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Scheme04-1.jpg" alt="Waterfall Formation" /> A cliff can end up receding until it reaches a human settlement or a bridge. This process cannot be stopped completely, but it can be slowed down. To do so, the government regulates the volume of the water stream and diverts part of it towards hydroelectric power stations. Taking all the necessary precautions can decrease the velocity of Niagara Falls by 10 times while increasing the production of clean energy.Waterfalls are not only spectacular but also very noisy. This happens because rocky grottoes, high humidity, and temperature inversion collect and bend sound waves.
For example, in the rainy season, the noise of Victoria Falls spreads across 25 mi, and people right next to the falls can hardly hear one another.
In of spite their seeming simplicity, waterfalls can have varying and peculiar shapes: “horsetail,” “bridal veil,” “crevice,” “curtain,” “fan,” “leaf,” etc. However, there is no strict classification. As usual, we will take a look at the most notable examples.
Angel Falls (Kerepakupai Merú)
Height: 3,212 ft
Location: Venezuela
Over half a mile long, this is the tallest waterfall on the planet. In 1933, American pilot James Angel was searching for gold and diamond reserves in the mountains of Venezuela. He did not find any precious stones, but, from high up in the sky, he spotted a hill with a tremendous waterfall. The plane broke down when Angel attempted a landing, so he and his passengers had to descend the mountain on foot and walk another 11 days to reach civilization. The adventure made it to the world news, and the waterfall (already known to geographers, by the way) was named in Angel’s honor. In 2009, President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez suggested the waterfall be renamed to Kerepakupai Merú (“Waterfall of the deepest place” in the indigenous Pemon language). That way, the country’s most famous landmark bore a local name.
Victoria Falls
Height: 354 ft
Location: Zambia, Zimbabwe
This waterfall is not a record-breaker in any specific category, but it could be named the “golden mean.” Victoria Falls has both an impressive height and width (5,604 ft). Each second, more than a thousand cubic meters of water flow over the falls, and even more in the rainy season. The natural wonder was discovered by a prominent explorer of Africa, David Livingstone — or rather, he was the one to introduce it to Europe. Local people clearly knew about the waterfall long before. In fact, they guided Livingstone’s expedition to the destination. The British explorer named his finding in honor of Queen Victoria. The indigenous name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means “the smoke that thunders” — spray from the waterfall rises hundreds of meters up into the air and forms a thick fog.
Niagara Falls
Height: 174 ft
Location: US, Canada
Niagara Falls is not one, but three waterfalls. This hasn’t always been the case — around 600 years ago, Niagara Falls was whole. The waterfall moved over time and reached a group of islands that separated it into three. Each of the waterfalls in the resulting complex received its own name: Horseshoe Falls (also called Canadian Falls), American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. Despite the region’s cold winters, Niagara Falls doesn’t usually freeze, with some exceptions (for instance, 2018 and 2019). Niagara’s hydroelectric stations supply over a quarter of all electricity used in the Canadian province of Ontario and New York state. The hydroelectric station uses more water at night than in the daytime so that tourists can fully enjoy the grand spectacle.
Khone Falls
Height: 69 ft
Location: Laos
By the standards of other waterfalls, the Khone seems quite small, but make no mistake: 69 ft is around the height of a seven-story house! The Khone Falls leads in a different category: the total width of its cascades (35,377 ft!) makes it the widest on the planet. It is practically impossible to raft along the Mekong river, where the Khone is located, because the area is full of rapids and tiny islands. However, during flood seasons, the river “swallows” all the irregularities, causing the waterfall to disappear into the deep water. Moreover, around the Khon, you can find the largest freshwater fish on Earth — the gigantic catfish Pangasianodon gigas. Its specimens can reach a mass of up to 440–660 lb. Such a giant is an attractive prey for fishermen; thus, the species is under threat of extinction.
Guaíra Falls
Height: 375 ft
Location: Brazil, Paraguay
Despite its unremarkable size, Guaíra Falls had incredible power. According to various estimates, its flow rate ranged from 460,000 to 1,765,733 ft³ per second, which made it the highest volume of falling water in the world. Why are we talking about it in the past tense? The Guaíra no longer exists — in 1982, the building of a dam and artificial lake on the Paraná River submerged the waterfall. As soon as the project went public, thousands of tourists flocked to the area to see the falls for the last time. This led to tragedy: a bridge serving as an observation platform collapsed under the weight of the tourists, and forty people drowned.
The Denmark Strait Cataract
Height: around 11,500 ft
Location: Denmark Strait
This is the largest underwater waterfall in the world, formed by the complex topography of the seafloor and the difference in temperatures between the arctic waters of the Greenland Sea and the warm waters of the Irminger Sea. Upon meeting, the warm, lighter water rises to the surface, and the dense, cold water moves down to the drop in the ocean floor. This waterfall is more than three times taller than Angel Falls, and its flow rate is measured in multiple millions of ft³ per second, greater than the Guaíra. Yes, this is without a doubt the largest waterfall on planet Earth, which makes it all the more surprising that it still has no name — scientists simply refer to it as the Denmark Strait cataract.
Waterfall | Kinder Downfall
Height: 98 ft
Location: England
This small waterfall is one of the most fascinating on our list. During strong west winds, the water doesn’t just fall but flies upwards as the airflow drives part of it back on itself. You can see the cloud of sprinkles from miles away. Catching this spectacle isn’t easy, as the river freezes in winter and dwindles to a dribble in summer. The best time to observe the waterfall is during the rainy season when you can wait for windy weather. However, the Kinder is also popular in winter when alpinists climb the frozen waterfall.
Waterfall | Blood Falls
Height: 50 ft
Location: Antarctica
A powerful stream of blood-red water that pours forth from deep inside the ice raises several questions at once: why is its water red? Why doesn’t it freeze? We’ll go ahead and answer: the source of the waterfall is a subglacial lake. Its salt content is three times that of the ocean. Even in frosty Antarctica, it doesn’t turn into ice — at this concentration of salt, it takes about 5°F for the water to freeze. The blood-red tint of the liquid is due to its high quantity of iron oxide (by the way, the same substance gives Mars its reddish color). The compound is made by the unique microorganisms that live in the lake water.
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