Fan waterfalls- These are named for their shape. Water spreads out horizontally as it descends. Virgin Falls is an example. Are you worried or stressed? Click here for Expert Advice. Comment 0. Post Comment. Disclaimer: Comments will be moderated by Jagranjosh editorial team. Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant will not be published.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name, to avoid rejection. How are Waterfalls formed? In the article below know how waterfalls are formed and the types of waterfalls that exist.
Get detailed knowledge of the formation of the waterfall. Waterfall formation. Related Categories. This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations.
Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. A waterfall is a river or other body of water's steep fall over a rocky ledge into a plunge pool below. Waterfalls are also called cascade s. The process of erosion , the wearing away of earth, plays an important part in the formation of waterfalls. Waterfalls themselves also contribute to erosion.
Often, waterfalls form as streams flow from soft rock to hard rock. This happens both laterally as a stream flows across the earth and vertically as the stream drops in a waterfall. In both cases, the soft rock erodes, leaving a hard ledge over which the stream falls.
A fall line is the imaginary line along which parallel rivers plunge as they flow from uplands to lowlands. Many waterfalls in an area help geologist s and hydrologist s determine a region's fall line and underlying rock structure. As a stream flows, it carries sediment. The sediment can be microscopic silt , pebbles, or even boulders.
Sediment can erode stream beds made of soft rock, such as sandstone or limestone. Eventually, the stream's channel cuts so deep into the stream bed that only a harder rock, such as granite, remains. Waterfalls develop as these granite formations form cliffs and ledges. A stream's velocity increases as it nears a waterfall, increasing the amount of erosion taking place.
The movement of water at the top of a waterfall can erode rocks to be very flat and smooth. Rushing water and sediment topple over the waterfall, eroding the plunge pool at the base. The crashing flow of the water may also create powerful whirlpool s that erode the rock of the plunge pool beneath them.
The resulting erosion at the base of a waterfall can be very dramatic, and cause the waterfall to "recede. This causes the waterfall to "recede" many meters upstream. The waterfall erosion process starts again, breaking down the boulders of the former outcropping. Erosion is just one process that can form waterfalls. An earthquake , landslide , glacier , or volcano may also disrupt stream beds and help create waterfalls.
There is not a standard way to classify waterfalls. Some scientists classify waterfalls based on the average volume of water in the waterfall. The estimated volume of water discharged from Inga Falls is 25, cubic meters per second , cubic feet per second.
Another popular way of classifying waterfalls is by width. One of the widest waterfalls is Khone Phapheng Falls, Laos. At the Khone Phapheng Falls, the Mekong River flows through a succession of relatively shallow rapids. The width of the Khone Phapheng Falls is about 10, meters 35, feet. Waterfalls are also classified by height. The water, from the Gauja River, often does not reach the bottom. The fall is so long, and so steep, that air pressure is stronger often than the water pressure of the falls.
The water is turned to mist before it reaches the small tributary below. One of the most popular, if least scientific, ways to classify waterfalls is by type. A waterfall's type is simply the way the descends. Most waterfalls fit more than one category. A block waterfall descends from a wide stream. Niagara Falls, in the U. The tallest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls in Venezuela.
It is 3,ft m high, which is more than twice the height of the Empire State Building in New York. The noise and spray of plunging rivers create amazing natural wonders of the world, such as these falls in Chile, South America, called Laja Falls, or Salto del Laja. If the riverbed changes abruptly from hard to soft rock, the river erodes the softer rock. This leaves a steep cliff of hard rock, which becomes a waterfall.
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