Niagara Falls

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Niagara Falls



Contents

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Abstract

Niagara Falls sees between four and six million cubic feet of water go over its crest every minute. The Falls are 188 feet high, with the deepest section of the Niagara River just at their base-going down 170 feet. Niagara Falls is the second tallest waterfall in the world. With the help of modern science, the USA and Canada have been working to preserve the Falls beauty for as long as possible before nature takes its course.



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Introduction

Figure 1: Niagara Falls in 1678.
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Figure 1: Niagara Falls in 1678.

"'Betwixt the lakes Ontario and Erie,' he says, ' there is a vast and prodigious cadence of water, which falls after an astonishing manner, insomuch that the universe does not afford its parallel. As to the waters of Italy and Swedeland, they are but sorry patterns of it, and this wonderful downfall is compounded of two great falls, with an isle in the middle, and there is another cascade less than the other two which falls from west to east. I wished a hundred times that somebody had been with us, who could have described the wonders of this frightful fall. In the mean time, accept the following draught such as it is.'" 

The above quote comes from Father Hennepin, a missionary from France, 
who discovered the falls, now called Niagara Falls, in 1678.

From this quote, we can learn that Niagara Falls consist of three separate waterfalls-Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and American Falls. Also, there are islands present in the area. In fact, there are two islands - Goat Island and Luna Island.


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History

Figure 2: Formation of a Waterfall.
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Figure 2: Formation of a Waterfall.
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Formation of Waterfalls


  1. Water (usually from a river) will flow over a large step in the rocks.
  2. All of the water that has flown over will start to undercut the lower layer of softer rock forming a shallow cave-like formation (rock shelter).
  3. The overhang from the upper layer of harder rock will collapse and fall into the water at the bottom. This will create a plunge pool or gorge.
  4. The water at the top of the rock will then start to retreat upstream.
  5. After all of this, steep gorge-like valleys remain, and a waterfall has been created.



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Formation of Niagara Falls

Satellite View of Niagara Falls

  • In terms of geology, Niagara Falls is quite young. The formation of the falls began at the end of the Ice Age. Large torrents of water were released from the melting ice, draining into what is now the Niagara River. About 12,300 years ago, the water plunged over the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, a cliff at what is now Lewiston, New York. The force of the water wore away the rock layers and Niagara Falls moved upstream, eventually reaching its present location
  • The Niagara Falls formation is a slow process that continues today. The annual freezing and thawing of the Niagara River still wears away at the rocks under the surface. Gradual erosion and periodic rockfalls steadily move Niagara Falls farther upstream. However, modern influences have caused the falls to wear away less quickly. Remedial work has been done to preserve the falls and the volume of water has been reduced by diversion for hydroelectric power.



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Three Waterfalls in One

Figure 3: View of the Horseshoe Falls.
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Figure 3: View of the Horseshoe Falls.

(All the facts below came from http://www.niagarafrontier.com/cataract.html)

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Horseshoe Falls

  • The crest line of Niagara Falls was not described as horseshoe shaped until 1721.
  • One hundred (100%) percent of the Horseshoe Falls is located in Canada.
  • The speed of the Niagara River at the crest of the Horseshoe Falls is 20 miles (32km/h) per hour.
  • The height of the Horseshoe Falls is 53 meters (173 feet) to the plunge pool at the base of the Falls.
  • The crest line of the Horseshoe Falls is 2,200 feet (670m) in width. The crest line of the Horseshoe Falls is 500 feet (152 meters) above sea level.
  • The water depth at the base of the Horseshoe Falls is 184 feet (56m).
  • Behind the Horseshoe Falls is a rock shelf approximately 20 feet (6m) in width, however because of the sheer shale cliffs on either side and because of the volume of water falling, access is not possible.
  • Between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. each day, the volume of water flowing over the Falls is at its maximum rate.
  • In one second, a total of 600,000 gallons of water flows over the width of the crest line of the Horseshoe Falls.
  • The depth of the Niagara River just north of the Horseshoe Falls is 56.6 meters (185 feet) deep, however rock talus fills in a portion of the bottom to within 22 meters (72 feet) of the surface.
  • The Scenic Tunnels located in the Table Rock Complex at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls will take visitors down an elevator approximately 170 feet (51.8m) to two tunnels leading to the base of the Falls. One tunnel is 150 feet long (46m) and leads to an outdoor observation deck to the north side of the Horseshoe Falls. A second 240 foot (73m) tunnel leads to a portal view behind the Horseshoe Falls. Each tunnel is 7 feet (2m) in height and 4.5 feet (1.4m) wide. The tunnels were built in 1888 and for many years were known as "the Cave of the Forty Thieves".
  • Substantial rock falls occurred at Table Rock in 1828, 1829, 1850, 1862, 1887, 1889 and 1891. In 1935, the remainder of Table Rock which posed a safety hazard was blasted away.


Figure 4: View of the American Falls (to the left) and the Bridal Veil Falls (to the right).
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Figure 4: View of the American Falls (to the left) and the Bridal Veil Falls (to the right).
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American Falls

  • The American Falls is also known as the Rainbow Falls.
  • One hundred (100%) percent of the American Falls is located in the U.S.A.
  • The height of the American Falls is 182 feet (56m) from the crest line to the river level.
  • The crest line of the American Falls is approximately 950 feet (290 meters) in width. The depth of the water at the crest is approximately 2 feet (0.6 meters). The crest line of the American Falls is 510 feet (155 meters) above sea level.
  • In one second, a total of 150,000 gallons of water flows over the width of the crest line of the American Falls.
  • The American Falls is most famous for rainbows. Rainbows quite often appear in the morning as the sun rises in the eastern horizon and shines through the veil of mist generated from the falling water.
  • During the late winter of 1931, a rock fall occurred at the crest of the American Falls. It is estimated that 76,000 tons of rock fell into the gorge.
  • On July 28th 1954 at 4:05 p.m., a large rock fall took place at Prospect Point (a famous landmark from which tourists viewed the Falls) just north of the American Falls. An estimated 185,000 tons of rock plunged to the base of the gorge.
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Bridal Veil Falls

  • The Luna Falls is also known as the Bridal Veil Falls or Iris Falls.
  • One hundred (100%) percent of the Bridal Veil Falls is located in the U.S.A.
  • The Bridal Veil Falls has a height of 182 feet (56 meters).
  • The crest line of the Bridal Veil Falls is 56 feet (17 meters) in width. It is located immediately south of the much larger American Falls but separated from the main waterfalls by a thin strip of land known as Luna Island. The crest line of Bridal Veil Falls is 508 feet (155 meters) above sea level.
  • The Bridal Veil Falls is the site of "The Cave Of The Winds" tourist attraction.


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The Cave of the Winds

A guide takes tourists to the base of the Niagara Gorge and onto a series of wooden decks
below the Falls. The closest deck is known as the hurricane deck and is located only 
twenty-five feet away from the cascading water falls. The hurricane deck is named because  
of the wind and water being generated by the Bridal Veil Falls.  The original "Cave of the 
Winds" was a real cavern located behind the Bridal Veil Falls. It measured approximately 
130 feet (40m) high, 100 feet (30m) wide and 30 feet (9m) in depth. During the early 1900's
there was a pathway that tourists could take to the cave which was located behind the Falls. 
It was quite the popular spot. The Cave of the Winds was first called "Aeolus' Cave" after 
the fabled Greek God of Winds. Unfortunately what forces of nature had created over 
thousands of years was also responsible for its demise through water erosion. In 1954, one 
of the greatest rock falls occurred at Prospect Point. This rock fall had altered the 
appearance of the Cave of the Winds forever. Coupled with smaller but similar rock falls 
at Terrapin Point, the entrance to the cave became too dangerous for tourists. The 
overhanging ledge of dolostone which protected tourists entering the Cave of the Winds 
from the water of the Falls was in serious danger of collapsing. As a result, the original 
Cave of the Winds was destroyed by a controlled dynamite blast in 1955.




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Interesting Facts

(The facts below came from http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/thefalls.html)

  • The first person to attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a 63-year-old woman. Seeking fame and fortune, schoolteacher Annie Taylor loaded herself - and her cat - up in a barrel and descended over the falls in 1901. She survived.
  • Niagara Falls received its reputation as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World" when Aaron Burr's daughter-Theodosia-chose a Niagara Falls honeymoon in 1801. She was followed up by Jerome Bonaparte-Napoleon's brother-in 1804 and, thus, a tradition was born. Now over 50,000 Niagara honeymoons are arranged each year.
  • In 1848, Niagara Falls actually stopped flowing for 30 hours when ice fields from Lake Erie jammed at the source of the river.
  • Marilyn Monroe visited the falls to film portions of the thriller Niagara Falls, released in 1953. Other notable visitors have included King George the V in 1939 and Princess Diana with her sons in 1991.


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My Adventure to Niagara Falls

Click here to see a video clip of the waterfalls.

In May 2005, I visited Niagara Falls. My family and I viewed the falls from the Canadian side. If you watch the video above, you will see the main fall viewed is the Horseshoe Falls because it located on the Canadian side. In order to get the full experience of all three falls, we took a ride on the Maid of the Mist.


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Maid of the Mist

Water rushes all around as you "soak" in the excitement and explore the roar of the Falls.  North America's oldest tourist  
attraction, millions of visitors have enjoyed the boat tours since 1846.  A powerful diesel-engined boat will take you from the 
Canadian docks past the base of the American Falls, then into the basin of the magnificent Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Operating from 
late April/early May (weather dependent) to October 24 each year, the Maid departs every 15 minutes.  Two 600-passenger boats, 
Maids VI and VII, are each 80-feet long and have two 350-horsepower engines that carry the vessels against the powerful current.   
A recyclable souvenir raincoat is provided free with admission to help keep you dry from the mist and spray.  Steamship departures 
from the Canadian side of the Niagara River are located at the Maid of the Mist Plaza.  The Plaza was built in 1991 and is unique 
in that it is set into the gorge wall, with all buildings below ground level. The large brown stone tower, covered in split brick 
mosaic carvings of vines, houses four high-speed elevators that take passengers down to the docks at the river’s edge.  Taking a 
few steps up to the top of the tower provides a wonderful panoramic view of Niagara Falls and it is a very popular location for 
photographers.  
                                (The description above came from http://www.niagarafallslive.com/niagara_falls_maid_of_the_mist.htm)




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References

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