Who doesn’t love to look at and listen to a waterfall. They are created when rivers plunge over the edges of cliffs crashing to the ground below. No two waterfalls are exactly alike; they vary in length, width, and power. People become mesmerized when viewing Angel Falls in Venezuela, Victoria Falls in Africa, and Niagara Falls in the United States and Canada.
Angel Falls is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall. It plunges 3,212 feet (three times the height of the Eiffel Tower) into the Devil’s Canyon. It is so well hidden in the jungle it was not discovered until the mid-1950s. Traveling to Venezuela to see Angel Falls should only be attempted by the adventurous. Visitors are required to have proof they have gotten a vaccination for yellow fever. It is best to go between December and April. The Falls is located in the Canaima National Park which can only be reached by plane. Excursions to the Falls leave from the park where lodging is located also.
Victoria Falls is known for producing the largest single sheet of flowing water in the world. It is 5,604 feet wide and 354 feet high. Because of the thundering sound from the Falls and the heavy mist, it was given the name “the Smoke that Thunders” by the original inhabitants of the area. The best time to visit the Falls is between June and July.
Niagara Falls can be seen from the United States and Canada. Viewing is free and the Falls are easily accessible from Niagara City in the United States and Niagara City in Canada. The cities seem to be built around the Falls. The Niagara River flows into three separate Falls that people refer to as Niagara Falls. The Horseshoe Falls is on the border of the two countries and is the most powerful waterfall in North America. The American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls are located in the United States. The combined flow rate for the three Falls forms the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 160 feet.
Waterfalls that we are privileged to view and hear are located above the earth. Recently scientific equipment has discovered there are also powerful waterfalls located under the oceans; these cannot be viewed, at least not at this time.
Separating Iceland and Greenland is the Denmark Strait. Scientists have discovered a powerful waterfall located under the strait. It is the world’s highest underwater fall (11,500 feet). Scientists estimate it has a flow rate exceeding 175 million cubic feet per second. That’s a lot of power! It is 100 miles wide. The water temperature on the eastern side of the strait is always much colder than on the western side. When the two temperatures meet, the colder water moves under the warmer and creates a downward flow moving over a huge drop in the ocean floor. Because it is located 2,000 feet under the strait’s surface and plunges to a depth of 10,000 feet (nearly a two-mile drop) it is not detected from the water surface.
Scientists are continually discovering things people never thought existed. Maybe there are waterfalls on other planets!
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/largest-waterfall.html
https://www.destinationtips.com/destinations/33-world-famous-waterfalls
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
