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Waterfall

- is a place where water flows over


a vertical drop in the course of a
stream or river.
- Waterfalls also occur
where meltwater drops over the
edge of a tabular iceberg or ice
shelf.
Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is
young.

At these times the channel is often narrow
and deep. When the river courses over
resistant bedrock, erosion happens slowly, while
downstream the erosion occurs more rapidly.

As the
watercourse increases its velocity at the edge of the
waterfall, it plucks material from the
riverbed. Whirlpools created in the turbulence as
well as sand and stones carried by the watercourse
increase the erosion capacity.

This causes the
waterfall to carve deeper into the bed and to recede
upstream. Often over time, the waterfall will recede
back to form a canyon or gorge downstream as it
recedes upstream, and it will carve deeper into the
ridge above it. The rate of retreat for a waterfall can
be as high as one and half meters per year.
Types
of
Waterfall

Ledge Waterfall: Water descends
vertically over a vertical cliff, maintaining
partial contact with the bedrock.


Block/Sheet: Water descends from a relatively
wide stream or river.
Classical: Ledge waterfalls where fall height is
nearly equal to stream width, forming a vertical
square shape.
Curtain: Ledge waterfalls which descend over a
height larger than the width of falling water
stream.

Huangguoshu
Waterfall (literally:
"Yellow-Fruit Tree
Waterfalls"), is one of the
largest waterfalls in
China and East
Asia located on the Baishui
River
in Anshun, Guizhou provin
ce. It is 77.8 m (255 ft)
high and 101 m (331 ft)
wide. The main waterfall is
67 m (220 ft) high and
83.3 m (273 ft) wide.
Type
Block Sheet
Elevation 903.9 m (2,966 ft)
Total height 77.8 m (255 ft)
Total width 101 m (331 ft)
Watercourse Hai River
Average
flow rate
18.2 L/s km
2

Plunge: Fast
moving water
descends vertically,
losing complete
contact with the
bedrock surface.

The contact is
typically lost due to
horizontal thrust of
the water before it
falls. It always
starts from a narrow
stream.
Angel Falls
Angel Falls is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is
the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall,
with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge
of 807 m (2,648 ft). The waterfall drops over
the edge of the Auyantepui mountain in
the Canaima National, a UNESCO World
Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region
of Bolvar State. The height figure 979 m
(3,212 ft) mostly consists of the main plunge
but also includes about 400 m (0.25 mi) of
sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and
a 30-metre (98 ft) high plunge downstream of
the talus rapids.
The falls are on
the Gauja
River (alternatively
known as the Kerep
River or Kerepacupai),
which flows into
the Churun River, a
tributary of the Carrao
River. They are named
after Jimmie Angel,
a US aviator, who was
the first person to fly
over the falls.
Maria Cristina Falls
- is a waterfall of the Agus River on the
island of Mindanao. It is sometimes
called the "twin falls" as the flow is
separated by a rock at the brink of the
waterfall. It is a landmark of Iligan
City, nicknamed the City of Majestic
Waterfalls, because of the presence of
more than 20 waterfalls in the city.

It is
located 9.3 kilometers away southwest
of the city proper at the boundaries of
Barangays Maria Cristina, Ditucalan,
and Buru-un. Well known for its natural
beauty and grandeur, the 320 - feet
(98 meters) high waterfall is also the
primary source of electric power for the
city's industries, being harnessed by
the Agus VI Hydroelectric Plant.
Total height 98 m (321.5 ft)
Number of drops 2
Longest drop 98 m (321.5 ft)
Average
flow rate
130 m (4,590.91
ft)
Pagsanjan Falls
- is one of the most
famous waterfalls in the Philippines.
Located in the province of Laguna, the
falls is one of the major tourist
attractions of the region. The three-
drop waterfall is reached by a river trip
on dugout canoe, known locally
as Shooting the rapids, originating
from the municipality
of Pagsanjan. The falls can also be
reached from the top by a short hike
from Cavinti. The boat ride has been
an attraction since the Spanish Colonial
Era with the oldest written account in
1894. The town of Pagsanjan lies at
the confluence of two rivers,
the Balanac River and the Bumbungan
River (also known as the Pagsanjan
River). It has 3 number of drops.
Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted
form and then spreads out in a wider pool.
Punch Bowl Falls is
a waterfall on Eagle Creek in
the Columbia River Gorge
National Scenic
Area, Oregon, United States.
The falls is 35 feet (11 m) tall
and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. Eagle
Creek cuts through a narrow
channel and shoots powerfully
into a large bowl that resembles
a punchbowl. This waterfall was
responsible for the waterfall
classification type of punchbowl.

Horsetail: Descending water maintains good
contact with bedrock most of the time.
Slide: Water glides down maintaining continuous
contact.
Ribbon: Water descends over a long narrow
strip.
Chute: A large quantity of water forced through
a narrow, vertical passage.
Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends
while remaining in contact with bedrock.

Powerscourt Waterfall is a
waterfall on the river
Dargle near Enniskerry,
County Wicklow, in Ireland,
located in a valley
surrounded by Djouce
Mountain and the Great
Sugar Loaf. At a height of
121 metres (397 ft), it is the
highest waterfall on the
island. It has only one
number of drop.
The waterfall and
surrounding valley are
owned by the Powerscourt
Estate.

Cascade: Water descends
a series of rock steps. The
cascade has often been
used as a feature of formal
gardens.
The Wallaman Falls,
a cascade and horsetail
waterfall on the Stony Creek,
is located in
the UNESCO World Heritage
listed Wet Tropics in
the northern region
of Queensland, Australia. The
waterfall is notable for its main
drop of 268 metres
(879 ft), which makes it the
country's tallest single-drop
waterfall. The pool at the
bottom of the waterfall is 20
metres (66 ft) deep. An
estimated 100,000 people visit
the waterfall annually.
Total height 305 m (1,001 ft)
Number of drops 2
Longest drop 268 m (879 ft)
Total width 15 m (49 ft)
Watercourse Stony Creek
Average
flow rate
3 m
3
/s (110 cu ft/s)
World height ranking 294
Kitekite Falls
Tiered/Multi-
step/Staircase:
A series of
waterfalls one
after another of
roughly the same
size each with its
own sunken
plunge pool.
Kitekite Falls (also called Kitakita Falls) is a
scenic 3-tiered waterfall near Auckland, New
Zealand. The falls drop a total of 40 metres
(130 ft). From the lookout on Kitekite track
the falls appear even higher because there is
white water running over rocks into a small
pool from the upper swimming hole, then
falling down into a large pool, then falling to a
small pool before beginning an almost vertical
descent in the final 3-tiers, making the total
height closer to 80 metres (260 ft).

They are
located on the Glen Esk stream
near Piha Beach.
Cataract: A large, powerful
waterfall.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is the collective name for
three waterfalls that straddle the international
border between Canada and the United States; more
specifically, between the province of Ontario and
the state of New York. They form the southern end
of the Niagara Gorge.
From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are
the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal
Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie mostly on the
Canadian side and the American Falls entirely on the
American side, separated by Goat Island. The smaller
Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side,
separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island.
The international boundary line was originally drawn
through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but the boundary has
long been in dispute due to natural erosion and
construction.
Total height 167 ft (51 m)
Number of Drops 3
Watercourse Niagara River
Average flow rate 85,000 cu ft/s
(2,400 m
3
/s)
According to Iroquoian
scholar Bruce Trigger,
"Niagara" is derived
from the name given to
a branch of the locally
residing native Neutral
Confederacy, who are
described as being called
the "Niagagarega"
people on several late
17th century French
maps of the area.
Catadupa:
A cataract or waterfall,
originally those of
the Nile. The
term catadupae refers
to people inhabiting
near such cataracts;
there are suppositions
that these people are
deaf due to the
constant din.
The Blue Nile Falls is a waterfall on the Blue
Nile river in Ethiopia. It is known as Tis
Abay in Amharic, meaning "smoking water". It is
situated on the upper course of the river, about
30 km downstream from the town of Bahir
Dar and Lake Tana. The falls are considered one of
Ethiopia's best known tourist attractions.
The falls are estimated to be between 37 and 45
metres high, consisting of four streams that
originally varied from a trickle in the dry season to
over 400 metres wide in the rainy season. Regulation
of Lake Tana now reduces the variation somewhat,
and since 2003 a hydro-electric station has taken
much of the flow out of the falls except during the
rainy season.

Iguazu Falls
Segmented:
Distinctly
separate flows
of water form
as it descends.
Iguazu Falls, are waterfalls of the Iguazu
River on theborder of the Argentina
province of Misiones and the Brazilian state
of Paran. The falls divide the river into the
upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River
rises near the city of Curitiba. For most of its
course, the river flows through Brazil,
however, most of the falls are on the
Argentine side. Below its confluence with the
San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the
boundary between Argentina and Brazil.
Tide Fall: A
waterfall that
directly empties
into the sea or
ocean.
Alamere Falls
Alamere Falls is a waterfall in Point Reyes
National Seashore, Marin County,
California. Alamere Falls is a rare "tidefall", a
waterfall that flows directly into the ocean. It is
one of only two in the area, the other being McWay
Falls.
Number of drops 4
Longest drop 40 feet (12 m)
Elevation
250 ft. (+400 ft., -500 ft.)

Frozen: Any
waterfall which
has some
element of ice.
Hardy Falls
Hardy Falls is one of two major
falls on Hardy Creek, the major
watershed on the south side
of Hamilton Mountain. Most
hikers will view the falls from a
viewpoint on a short path off the
Hamilton Mountain Trail. The
spur drops about 30 feet of
elevation to a nice spot lined by
a rustic wooded fence. The view
of the falls is somewhat limited,
especially in the summer when
the volume is low and the foliage
is thicker.
Victoria Falls, or
Mosi-oa-Tunya (the
Smoke that Thunders), is
a natural waterfall in
southern Africa on
the Zambezi River at the
border of Livingstone,
Zambia and
Zimbabwe. Its height
measures 355 ft (51
meters) at the center. The
average flow rate is 1088
m/s (38,430 cu ft/s).
David Livingstone, the Scottish
missionary and explorer, is
believed to have been the first
European to view Victoria Falls
on 16 November 1855 from what
is now known as Livingstone
Island, one of two land masses
in the middle of the river,
immediately upstream from the
falls on the Zambian side.
Livingstone named his discovery
in honour of Queen Victoria, but
the indigenous name, Mosi-oa-
Tunya"the smoke that
thunders"continues in common
usage as well.
Ruby Falls
- is a 145-foot high
underground waterfall loc
ated within Lookout
Mountain,
near Chattanooga,
Tennessee in the United
States. In the 1920s
a chemist and cave
enthusiast named Leo
Lambert thought that he
could re-open the cave as
a tourist attraction, and
formed a company to do
so.
Plitvice Falls
- are well known to the
Europeans who live in the
area of Crotia however
many of those who live in
other countries are not as
well acquainted with
these amazing works of
nature. It is a series of
waterfalls.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current,
confined within a bed and stream banks.
Depending on its locale or certain
characteristics, a stream may be referred to as
a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek,
"crick", gill, kill,
lick, mill race, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet,
streamage, wash, run, or runnel. Streams are
important as conduits in the water cycle,
instruments in groundwater recharge, and
corridors for fish and wildlife migration. A
stream is generally formed from water
precipitation from rain and snow. The water
flows as run off and is concentrated in a
channel.
Types of Stream
Brook
- A stream smaller than a creek,
especially one that is fed by
a spring or seep. It is usually small
and easily forded. A brook is
characterized by its shallowness and
its bed being composed primarily of
rocks.
Brook
Creek
- In North America, Australia and New Zealand, a
small to medium sized natural stream. Sometimes
navigable by motor craft and may be intermittent.
- In parts of New England, the UK and India,
a tidal inlet, typically in a salt marsh or mangrove
swamp, or between enclosed and drained former
salt marshes or swamps (e.g. Port Creek
separating Portsea Island from the mainland). In
these cases, the stream is the tidal stream, the
course of the seawater through the creek channel
at low and high tide.

In North
America, Australia
and New Zealand
In parts of New
England, the UK
and India
River
- A large
natural stream,
which may be
a waterway.
Runnel
- the linear channel
between the parallel
ridges or bars on a
shoreline beach or river
floodplain, or between
a bar and the shore.
Also called a swale.
A swale is a low tract
of land, especially one
that is moist or marshy.
Tributary
- A contributory
stream, or a stream
which does not
reach the sea but
joins another river
(a parent river).
Sometimes also
called a branch or
fork.

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