Visoth Ethan Touch

From GeoClasses

Title: The Victoria Falls

- - By Visoth Ethan Touch

1 Abstract
2 Introduction
3 Climate
4 Features of The Victoria Falls
5 How The Victoria Falls formed
6 My Experience in Africa, plus I went Sky Diving in Zimbabwe
7 References

Abstract

The Victoria Falls area, in Zimbabwe's northwestern corner, stretches from Kazungula where Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe meet. I will talk about my experience to Africa and my experience at The Victoria Falls. In this, I will talk about the history, how The Victoria Falls formed, the features of The Victoria Falls.

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Introduction

Figure 1: The Victoria Falls famous shot I took with my camera.

Dr. David Livingstone was the first person from a developed country that has seen the Victoria Falls in November 1855. However, Late Stone Age groups had preceded him by at least 100 centuries, our earliest ancestors by at least two millions years. According to David Livingstone, the Falls had been known as Songwe. Today the locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). Of greater importance than the name is the history of the Zambezi River, the Falls themselves, the people who once lived in the area, and the threat the Falls now faces. The Zambezi River as we know it today was originally two rivers. The Upper Zambezi from its source flowed into what was Lake Makgadikgadi in Botswana. The Middle (now Lake Kariba), and Lower Zambezi, flowing through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean, formed a separate river.

The Okavango and Chobe Rivers and local rainfall fed Lake Makgadikgadi; the waters of what we know as the Upper Zambezi River replenished the evaporation off-take. The lake covered an area of roughly 60,000 square km and its eastern edge was a mere 65 meters west of the lip of today’s Victoria Falls. What then followed is known by geologists as river capture with the Middle Zambezi capturing its upper tributaries.

Global warming, a phrase in wide usage today, appears to have caused Lake Makgadikgadi to overflow in the interglacial period which preceded the last Ice Age some 125,000 to 150,000 years ago. Scientific analysis of sediments and other remains show that when Lake Makgadikgadi overflowed, global temperatures averaged two degrees centigrade warmer than today. As a result, Lake Makgadikgadi spilled onto the basalt plateau. The volume of water then gouged its way through cracks filled with softer materials joining up with the Middle Zambezi to create one river system. Lake Makgadikgadi dried up and today appears on the map as a pan in Botswana, southwest of Hwange.

The first Victoria Falls were created some time after the cataclysmic flood that saw the birth of the Zambezi River as we now know it. But those Falls were located downstream of today’s Victoria Falls at the first of eight gorges in Batoka Gorge. Since then the river has slowly, but inexorably, been cutting backwards, exposing one weakness after another in the basalt base and creating the zigzag pattern of gorges visible from the air.

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Climate

Over millions of years Victoria Falls has been subjected to consequential temperature swings. Once the Zambezi Valley was filled by glaciers; the Falls themselves and the connecting of the Upper and Middle Zambezi River systems occurred because of global warming. Today the climate is classified as subtropical hot and arid, and the swings in temperature and related climatic activity are - in the short-term - less extreme and more predictable. Nevertheless, there are still marked climatic variations during four seasons as follows:

Hot season
- Main Rainy season
  - Post Rainy season
    - Cool dry season

The prelude to the rains in September heralds the hottest months of the year. Clouds gather in blue skies and daytime temperatures can soar into the upper 30s C, sometimes well beyond.

The rains, which usually arrive in October/November, and end in March/April, bring welcome relief. it usually rains in the afternoon and evening. In November/December the water flow over the Falls is at its lowest level, which can make viewing disappointing.

From February through to around June, as the waters from the vast northern catchment area arrive, the Falls are at their peak. The clouds of spray rise ever higher and can be seen 30 km away. Beyond the rain, forest a drenching is guaranteed.

June to September are the most popular most popular months with visitors. Daytime temperature are around 17-27 degree C dropping by at the least a third at night. In what locals call the winter months (june/july) they can drop to 4-8 degrees C (for me its the perfect weather).

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Features of The Victoria Falls

For a considerable distance above the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow valley bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river's course is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys which might be expected to create a waterfall, only flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometers in all directions. The falls are formed as the full width of the river plummets in a single vertical drop into a chasm 60–120 m (200–400 ft) wide, carved by its waters along a fracture zone in the basalt plateau. The depth of the chasm, called the First Gorge, varies from 80 m (262 ft) at its western end to 108 m (360 ft) in the centre. The only outlet to the First Gorge is a 110 m (360 ft) wide gap about two-thirds of the way across the width of the falls from the western end, through which the whole volume of the river pours into the Victoria Falls gorges.

There are two islands on the crest of the falls that are large enough to divide the curtain of water even at full flood: Boaruka Island (or Cataract Island) near the western bank, and Livingstone Island near the middle. At less than full flood, additional islets divide the curtain of water into separate parallel streams. The main streams are named, in order from from Zimbabwe (west) to Zambia (east): Leaping Water (called Devil's Cataract by some), Main Falls, Rainbow Falls (the highest) and the Eastern Cataract.

The Zambezi basin above the falls experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, and a dry season the rest of the year. The river's annual flood season is February to May with a peak in April, the spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 meters (1,300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km (30 miles) away. At full moon, a "moonbow" can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow. During the flood season, however, it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist.

Figure 2: Visoth standing at the edge of the river.

Figure 3: View from the plane.

Figure 4: View of Victoria Falls from plane.

Close to the edge of the cliff, spray shoots upward like inverted rain, especially at Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge. As the dry season takes effect, the islets on the crest become wider and more numerous, and in September to January up to half of the rocky face of the falls may become dry and the bottom of the First Gorge can be seen along most of its length. At this time it becomes possible (though not necessarily safe) to walk across some stretches of the river at the crest. It is also possible to walk to the bottom of the First Gorge at the Zimbabwean side. The minimum flow, which occurs in November, is around a tenth of the April figure; this variation in flow is greater than that of other major falls, and causes Victoria Falls' annual average flow rate to be lower than might be expected based on the maximum flow.

The best time to see Victoria Falls depends on what one wants to see. May to August offers the best compromise between a flow rate, which impresses with its power, and the falls not being completely obscured by spray. Victoria Falls are roughly twice the height of North America's Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls. In height and width Victoria Falls is rivaled only by South America's Iguazu Falls.

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How The Victoria Falls formed

One hundred and fifty million years ago the whole of southern Africa was wracked by intenese volcanic activity, and a 300-meter thick lava field spread over the land, hardening to form a dense basalt. As it cooled and solidified, the rock chrank and cracked, forming fissures running both north-south and east-west that were later eroded by the weather into wide crevasses. Millions of years later the area along this stretch became a lake, and softer deposits of clay and lime were laid on top of the basalt. The lake dried and the surface layer eroded away, leaving only the fissures filled with the softer material, which eventually compacted to form limestone.

Still later, the Zambezi carved its course through the soft limestone, but could not so easily erode the basalt on either side of the fissures. At its confluence with the Matetsi, the Zambezi fell 250 meters into the deep Matetsi Valley, forming a waterfall 100 km downstream from the present falls. The constant rush of water eroded this first falls, creating along its course (which was the bed of an ancient east-west fissure) a series of retreating rapids and falls that ran from 2.5 km above the present falls to 8 km below them. This is the strip now called the Batoka Gorge, some of the most dangerous white water in the world. The line can be seen clearly from any high vantage point or from the air.

As the line of the falls retreated, it came alongside a north-south fissure and eroded the limestone from this before retreating along the east-west fissure once again. This north-south crevasse created a broad fall similar to the present Victoria Falls, although several kilometers downstream. In the course of time there have been eight of these falls, the biggest waterfalls in the world, each linked by the narrower east-west course of the river. The Devil’s Cataract (the first of the falls reached from the main path) is far deeper and more intense than the rest of the flow, and it is thought that this is the start of the river’s retreat towards the next north-south fissure. On the route of that new retreat there will be a narrow if intensely powerful flow before the river finds the next north-south fissure and creates a new broad fall.

Victoria Falls is between 61 and 105 meters high and 1688 meters wide. About 545 million liters of water pours over it every minute in flood season, sending spray some 500 meters into the air.

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My Experience in Africa, plus I went Sky Diving in Zimbabwe

Figure 5: Standing in front of hosted family's home.

Figure 6: Introducing myself to the locals.

Figure 7: Locals welcoming us, staring, laughing, wondering why are we there.

Figure 8: Our humble hotel in our host village.

Figure 9: Gorge

figure 10: Gorge

“Nothing really surprise me anymore,” I said to myself when I got off the plane in Africa. It seemed like I been here before, which I have not, but for some reason I was not really shocked yet. Before coming to Africa, I told myself I wanted to be shocked. I wanted to really feel the culture and know the people. In my mind I wanted to experience that culture shock as soon as I got off the plane, but I was not feeling anything. As the days went on I began to feel what I was looking for. I got know the people of Zambia. I actually slept a night in one of the villages. Now that was an experience I never would have expected. A group of my friends decided to get the real experience we must ask the locals if it would alright for us to stay one night in their village. Of course, they all agreed joyfully. We packed our bags that same day and went to the village of where the locals we worked with lived. The village seemed fairly normal. Everyone was happy to see us. Children of all sizing came running in our directions. They all were singing and dancing as they welcomed us into their village. Moms, dads, and grandparents all smiled and embraced us. It was the most intimate moments I have ever experienced with complete strangers, yet in my heart they did not seem as strangers to me. I felt a complete peace and connection with these people; however, if I was anywhere else I might have felt threaten or uncomfortable when people are touching me.

When everyone finally settled down, the leader of the village introduced us to the family we were to stay with. The family consisted of a mom, dad, one son, and a younger sister. A very typical family one would expect to see in America. As the men in the family offered to take our baggage, the mother led us to their home. As we walked through the crowded dusty road, we noticed everyone staring at us. But they were all smiling and waving. The children were still following us. Some were too shy to say hello so they would run before us and hide behind a tree and as we approach they would jump out and start laughing and clapping. We simply mimic what they were doing and we all would get a good laugh out of the game.

Finally, we reached their home. The entrance to the home consisted of tall straws that were sown together and supported by larger bare trees. We walked in and it was so nice. There were no grass, only dirt and a couple of trees. The house was a nice size – it was made of mud and straws – about 1000 square feet of living space. The other buildings were also made of the same material, but much smaller. I assumed, at the time, it was made for storage. We came in the house and it was really small, but it was comfortable. There were no lights or running water. There were two rooms in the home that had beds. It looked very comfortable and I knew I could not wait to get in that bed and sleep for I was very tired from all the traveling. It was very simple. I really like their simple way of living.

As night fell, I thought about the bed and how badly I wanted to sleep. But to my surprise, we ended up sleeping the building, which I thought was a storage room. It was actually the room of the son. I learned that at a certain age, the parents made the son build his own house and when he gets married he is supposed to build another house on his own land to raise his family. Anyway, I was fine with the idea; however, there were no beds in the room. The room was the size of my walk in closet. There were 3 of us and we all slept on the dirt ground in our sleeping bags, while mice were running around our toes looking for food. We also had spiders above us and bugs were running about on the walls. I was definitely not used to this environment, but I sucked it up and made the best of it because it was me who wanted to experience the culture and I got what I asked for. All in all, the experience with the family was amazing. They were really nice people.

Victoria Falls was absolutely amazing. During our trip we did not rent a hotel, but instead we camped out a mile from The Victoria Falls. We could hear the roar sound of the water just that far. We could also see the smoke of the Falls. I wanted to take my video camera with me to the Falls, but the Falls was so massive that they told us to leave the camera because the spray of the Falls will soak the camera. However, I was able to take my digital camera, but when I did take pictures I had to snap the picture fast so that I will not get too wet.

Figure 11: The Rainbow.

Figure 12: Beautiful Vegetation in the winter.

There is a bridge that takes us across the gorge. We were face-to-face with Victoria and she was beautiful. It was like she was singing a song of anger and shouting at us. But her sound did not scare us because as we are watching her there is this constant brilliant rainbow that shots across Victoria. It was so close to us that we were able to run our hands through the rainbow. There was rich vegetation all over The Victoria Falls. The time that we went was winter in Africa (May), so it was really eerie to see all the land covered in the Fall season colors. But when we were at Victoria Falls, everything was lush in green and multicolored flowers and plants. It was so surreal. It was like we were caught up in another planet.

Figure 13: Bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe.

I did not want to leave the area, but at night we were told it was very dangerous because people would mistake a step as a rock, but really there isn’t anything there and sadly, some people fall to their death. The Victoria Falls is a beauty, but she is definitely deadly if you don’t watch out for her.

I went sky diving...