Waterfalls why

Other times, they seem to dribble over stone terraces, slow and languid. And while there's no official record, estimates say there may be as many as 10, waterfalls in Iceland.

Foss is the Icelandic word for waterfall, and the names of some of the waterfalls are delightful in themselves.

So, why are there so many? What about Iceland lends itself so consistently to cascading water? Well, it all comes down to geology and geography. Touring Iceland is a journey in waterfall-appreciation. Get on out there and take a hike! Visitor Comments: Truth November 14, pm by D. Melo - When you begin to see how wonderful these natural creations are it does make you a little more mindful about life in general.

I like how you share the beauty but also importance of leaving or working with the environment to have a somewhat comfortable life. Our biggest issue as humans is the desire to… Read More. I wont go to see them and I don't like looking at pictures of them. I have tried making myself look at waterfalls to try to overcome the fear, but no joy. I don't even like to think about them. I can't stand… Wonderful World September 12, pm by Jenny - Excellent writing regarding waterfalls and relationship.

I enjoyed the many times that we were together searching for waterfalls and natural bridges. The song "What a Wonderful World" says it all. They make me feel at peace and closer to God. I feel that waterfalls are very similar to God in that they are a force not to be reckoned with. They can give and take life, and yet they are calming and soothing in their awesome beauty and lulling orchestration of sound.

Question about Waterfalls? February 9, am by Carol - What is the kinetic water called when it falls and hits the bottom? It means the same as loss of energy.

We can't think of the word, can you? It's like dead water. Thanks, Carol I enjoy the research how to get there , the execution getting there by car and foot , the few momments taking in the beautiful waterfalls and their surroundings and the photo work, recording and scrapbooking involved.

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Given the health benefits I talked about earlier, it only seems natural to want to spread the love by sharing the waterfalling experiences with loved ones. They accomplish this by showing themselves to human observers in whatever state they happen to be in. If the stream going over the waterfall is in consistently healthy flow, then it quickly becomes apparent the amount of life that surrounds the immediate area.

Indeed, with nature unimpeded, you could have organisms that manage to adapt over the millions or even billions of years given the set of conditions that Nature had set for them. With enough time, the successful life forms that have adapted well would thrive and make their presence known. And with the lushness would come other wildlife like birds, insects, and some mammals like rodents as well as reptiles like lizards.

If the stream going over the waterfall was inconsistently flowing i. The scenery would be more brown often times the banks would be eroded from flash flooding , and the place would just feel more lifeless and dysfunctional. The latter scenario more often than not would be the result of man-made activities. As a result, it would indicate clear signs of a lifeless, dysfunctional ecosystem. A healthy river system which once again I have to reiterate that waterfalls can indicate this tends to have lots of plant and tree life tapping into the freshwater resources on its banks.

And this, in turn, has the consequence of reduced erosion as the plant life would tend to stabilize the soil. When wildfires would occur, the lack of tree and plant cover would certainly mean further stream erosion sometimes manifested as mudflows or landslides. As a result, only flash floods racing through the drainages would be the only time enough appreciable water would flow on the windward sides of the medium- and smaller-sized creeks.

Indeed, waterfalls that were once more abundant and reliable are now relegated to ephemeral waterfalls that barely last a day or two. In other words, along the famed Hana Highway, you could see hundreds of waterfalls during rain, or you could only see a bunch of bare walls barely a day or two after rain.

Around the world, there are plenty of other examples of dysfunctioning ecosystems due to human interference of river systems announced by unhealthy or non-existent waterfalls. And that list seems to be growing day by day e. So why mess with it?

Well, modern life requires the use of energy and industrial scale production of food. And in order to feed into this demand for both, some manipulation of Nature must occur. Just realize that you hear lots about irrigation ditches around farms and cultivation fields ever since the advent of human civilization.

Indeed, this is a practice that has been there for thousands of years and some compromises with Nature must be made in order to feed more people. Of course, all this has the net effect of robbing water from a natural watercourse, which means some other life dependent on the watercourse would suffer from our need to thrive and cater to more people. The rest of this article will focus on this very aspect of waterfall utilization for industrial purposes.

The basic principle behind energy generated from water is the action of water moving under the influence of gravity which then turns mechanical devices which can convert that energy into electricity.

In physics terms, water coming from higher elevations has more potential energy stored gravitational energy than water sitting at lower elevations i. Roller coaster rides are another easy example to visualize. After all, why is it that they always have to pull you up a very large hill on chains before the roller coaster is left to its own devices? Illustration of potential energy being converted into kinectic energy using water. Here, the kinetic energy is in the form of gravity accelerating water , which could be rapids, cascades, or even a waterfall!

Illustration of potential energy being converted into kinetic energy using a roller coaster. Here, the kinetic energy is in the form of a zooming roller coaster moving fast enough under the influence of gravity to make it through the degree loop.

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. A cascade is a waterfall that descends over a series of rock steps. The waterfall is safe enough for children to play in the water.