Lesson Four:

L.O. To understand
different waterfalls
formations around the
world
 Activate

Recap from lesson 1: In lesson 1 we learnt about

how waterfalls begin. Answer the question below
using the key vocabulary to help you.

How are waterfalls formed?

Key vocabulary
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Erosion
How Are Waterfalls
Formed?

Jerry Crimson Mann © Wikipedia Commons

 High Force Waterfall

High Force
The High Force waterfall is located on the River Tees, in the Yorkshire Pennines. The
waterfall drops 21 metres into the plunge pool below. The gorge left by the retreating
waterfall is 700 metres long. Every year the waterfall retreats by five to six mm. To
view a video clip of High Force in action go to the BBC website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z63qxnb
Play the first half of the clip only.

High Force 3 © Tony Hisgett, Flickr

Gorge Formation at
High Force Waterfall

High Force 3 © Tony Hisgett, Flickr

 Famous Waterfalls

Niagara Falls

One of the most famous waterfalls in the world is Niagara falls which is
located in Lake Erie (USA) and Lake Ontario (Canada) and is part of the
Niagara River

Click onto the next slide to see its location on a map.

Niagara Falls:
Location

Great-Lakes-Basin © Wikipedia Commons

 Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls is comprises* three waterfalls that mark the border
between the United States of America and Canada. The largest, at
670 meters wide is the Horseshoe Falls, which lie in Canada. The
other waterfalls are located on the US side: the American Falls and
the Bridal Veil Falls with a combined width of 208 meters.

*comprises – made up of

Niagara Falls © Greg Knapp, Flickr

 Niagara Falls

American Falls Bridal Veil Falls Horseshoe Falls

Niagara Falls © Greg Knapp, Flickr

 Niagara Falls:
The First Daredevil

Annie Taylor posing next to her barrel © Wikipedia Commons

 Niagara Falls:
The First Daredevil
Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921)
On October 24th 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a 63 year old school teacher, was the first
person ever to ride down Niagara Falls in a barrel. The Waterfalls PowerPoint presentation
(see downloadable resources) includes an image of Annie Edson Taylor and the barrel. Her
motive was to garner fame and fortune; her husband had died many years previously and
she struggled financially. She chose the Horseshoe Falls, Canada, for her stunt, hiring a
manager to promote it and several thousand people came to watch.

The large oak barrel she used was heavily padded and weighted down at the bottom with a
blacksmith’s anvil to keep the barrel floating up right. The lid of the barrel was screwed on
with ordinary wood screws and air was pumped into the barrel using a bicycle pump.
Rather than doing the feat alone, some reports of the event state that Annie took her pet
kitten with her.

The barrel rode through the upper rapids, before plunging over the Horseshoe Falls and
disappearing into the swirling water below. It was several minutes before the barrel bobbed
to the surface and 20 minutes more before it floated near enough to the Canadian shore for
rescuers to reach it.
 Niagara Falls:
The First Daredevil

Other Niagara daredevils: Since Annie Edson Taylor’s barrel stunt, 14 people
have gone over the falls in, or on a device: while some have survived, others
have been severely injured or have drowned. It is now illegal, on both sides of the
border, to attempt to go over the falls.

In 2012, Nik Wallenda, a high wire artist became the first person to walk across
the falls in 116 years, having received special permission from both governments.
His tightrope was 550m long. He carried his passport on his trip and was required
to present it upon arrival on the Canadian side of the Falls.

In January 2015, Will Gadd became the first person to climb up Niagara Falls. He
climbed a frozen section of the Horseshoe Falls. There are many clips available
on line of Gadd’s feat. To see a short report, go to the BBC website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/31060065
 Hydro-electric Power

Using the water from Niagara: The water from the Niagara River is used by over
1 million people in USA and Canada. Some of the water is used for drinking;
however the majority of the water is used to produce hydro-electric power. On the
USA side, the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station and the Lewiston
Pump Generating Plant produce enough power to light 24 million 100 watt light
bulbs. In Canada the Sir Adam Beck Stations 1 and 2 are the largest of several
plants that harness the water from the River Niagara.

The 1950 Niagara Treaty stipulates the amount of water that can be
diverted. From April to September (the peak tourist season) less water can
be diverted for hydro-electric power, ensuring that visitors to the Falls have a
spectacular view!
Hydro-electric Power

Sir Adam Beck

Hydroelectric
Generating Stations
and Robert Moses
Niagara Power Plant ©
Alexander Synaptic,
Flickr
 The Highest Waterfall
in the worl
The Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world, falling 979 metres from the
flat-topped plateau, Auyán-Tepuí or Devils Mountain. It is located in the Canaima
National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) on the Churun River, south east
Venezuela. The Canaima National Park is 30,000km2.The waterfall is best seen
during the rainy season between June and December.
Angel Falls

Map of Venezuela ©
Wikipedia Commons
Angel Falls

2010_07_08_061504 © Ron Brinkmann, Flickr

 Angel Falls

The Angel Falls is called Salto Ángel in Spanish and Kerepakupai Vená – “waterfall of the
deepest place” in the indigenous Pemon language. The falls were named after James Angel,
an American adventurer who, in 1939, crash-landed his plane nearby.

To see the Angel Falls requires a plane journey into the Canaima National Park, followed by
a four hour boat trip along the Churun River and finally an hour’s hike through dense forest.

Under certain conditions, a visitor can feel small water drops from 1 km away.
 Task

Today’s task is research based

Can you research the highest waterfall in the United Kingdom and
create a fact file containing key information such a location (can you
include a map), its high, what river it is part of (where the source
and mouth of the river are) and any other information you believe to
be relevant.

Click to the next slide for an example based on Niagara Falls

Can you find any unusual or interesting facts to include?

 Example
Name: Niagara Falls

Location: The Niagara Falls are located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie (USA) into
Lake Ontario (Canada). The Niagara River is 58km in length.

Height: There are approximately 500 waterfalls in the world that are higher than the Niagara Falls.
Measured from the top of the Falls to the river below, the height of Niagara is at a maximum 57
meters (the Horseshoe Falls being slightly shorter than the American Falls).

Flow: Some of the higher falls have very little water flowing over them. In contrast, at its peak durin
the summer tourist season, more than 2,800 cubic meters of water per second flows over the
overhang of Niagara Falls. Out of season, more water is diverted to two hydroelectric power
stations, so the flow is less, at 1400 cubic meters per second.

Speed: The rapids above the Niagara Falls reach a maximum speed of 40 km per hour (25mph). A
the water flows over the overhang, it plunges at 109km per hour (68mph).

Erosion: Niagara Falls has retreated 11km (7 miles) in 12,500 years. Its current rate of erosion is
approximately 30cm per year. In 50,000 years, at the present rate of erosion, the remaining 32km
(20 miles) to Lake Erie will have been undercut and Niagara Falls will no longer exist- replaced by a
river channel with a series of rapids.