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This category’s waterfalls are very similar to the Horsetail variation. The waterfalls all have one thing in common: they plummet and slide down a steep slope while staying in constant contact with the underlying cliff.
The distinction is that the waterfall’s shape resembles a fan rather than a horse’s tail. The fan is shaped like the ones you see in Kung Fu movies or that Asian women use to cool themselves when it’s hot (only it’s held upside down instead of up as you’d ordinarily hold it).
The water velocity moving down the slopes under more ambient conditions (i.e. not flooded) is such that the water moves slower, allowing the fanning out or broadening of the waterfall’s shape near its bottom to become more evident.
Union Falls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Rustic Falls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Fantail Falls in New Zealand, Mokau Falls in New Zealand, Frieren in Norway’s Geiranger Fjord, and Lower Falls or Enfield Falls in New York’s Finger Lakes Region are all examples of this genre.
Waterfalls:
A waterfall is a steep drop of water from a river or other body of water into a plunge pool below. Cascades are another name for waterfalls.
Formation of Waterfall:
Erosion, or the wearing away of the earth, is a major factor in the production of waterfalls. The erosion caused by waterfalls is also a factor.
Streams that flow from soft rock to hard rock frequently generate waterfalls. This occurs both laterally (as a stream flows across the earth) and vertically (as a mountain range rises) (as the stream drops in a waterfall). The soft rock erodes in both circumstances, leaving a firm ledge over which the stream flows.
The imaginary line along which parallel rivers tumble as they flow from uplands to lowlands is known as a fall line. The presence of numerous waterfalls in a given area aids geologists and hydrologists in determining a region’s fall line and underlying rock structure.
Sediment is carried by streams as they flow. Microscopic silt, pebbles, or even boulders might be found in the sediment. Soft rock stream beds, such as sandstone or limestone, can be eroded by sediment. The stream’s channel eventually cuts so deeply into the streambed that only tougher rock, such as granite, is left. As these granite rocks produce cliffs and ledges, waterfalls form.
As a stream approaches a waterfall, its velocity rises, increasing the amount of erosion. The velocity of water at the top of a waterfall can erode boulders into flat, smooth surfaces. The plunge pool at the base of the waterfall is being eroded by rushing water and sediment. The water’s smashing surge may also form powerful whirlpools that damage the plunge pool’s granite beneath them.
The ensuing erosion at a waterfall’s base can be significant, causing the cascade to “recede.” The region behind the waterfall has eroded, resulting in a hollow, cave-like structure known as a “rock shelter.” The rocky outcropping (also known as the outcropping) may eventually collapse, hurling rocks into the stream bed and plunge pool below. The waterfall “recesses” many metres upstream as a result of this. The waterfall erosion process resumes, causing the stones of the old outcropping to crumble.
Waterfalls can be formed by a variety of processes, including erosion. A waterfall can occur when a fault or break in the Earth’s surface is crossed. An earthquake, landslide, glacier, or volcano can all assist create waterfalls by disrupting stream beds.
Classification of Waterfall:
There is no universal classification system for waterfalls. The average volume of water in a waterfall is used by some scientists to classify waterfalls. The width of a waterfall is another frequent way to categorise it. Waterfalls are also categorised based on their height. Type is one of the most popular, if not the least scientific, methods to categorise waterfalls. The way a waterfall descends determines its type. Most waterfalls fall under multiple categories.
Fan Waterfall:
The water in this type of waterfall forms a fan-like shape as it descends into the pool below, keeping contact with the bedrock. The Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland’s highest waterfall, is the most famous example of this type of waterfall. The Chatterbox Falls in British Columbia, Canada; the Virgin Falls on Tofino Creek on Vancouver Island, Canada; the Tinago Falls in the Philippines; the High Falls in North Carolina, United States; and the Nugget Falls in Alaska are all notable examples.
Conclusion:
The stream of water starts off thin at the top of the fall, but as it tumbles down the rock face, it widens out horizontally while staying in contact with the bedrock.
As they approach the river or stream below, these magnificent waterfalls just grow in size. They are, however, less widespread than some of the other categories, making a visit to one an even more remarkable experience.
Union Falls, in Yellowstone National Park, is a fan waterfall that every traveller should see. It is Yellowstone’s second highest waterfall, falling from a height of approximately 265 feet.
