Erosion Of Niagara Falls

Largely, it is the result of erosion by water at the end of the last glacial period. The most recent glacier over North America, the Laurentide Ice Sheet, resided almost all over Canada. Eventually, the sheet melted, allowing water possessing a strong stream discharge to be released in numerous directions. One of these melt-out pathways formed the Elora Gorge.

1. The geology of Ontario is divided into three layers of rock. The first layer, Precambrian Canadian Shield rocks, is composed of mainly igneous and metamorphic rocks from the Precambrian Eon. This layer is the eldest at approximately 3-0.8x109 years old and is therefore the bottom-most layer (L). Although this layer is largely found in the Canadian Shield region of Ontario, glacial erratics from the Precambrian layer can be found at the Don Valley Brickyard (L). In the GTA, younger sediments and rocks cover the Precambrian rock layer (L). The second layer is Paleozoic rock, composed of sedimentary rocks
. It was deposited 600-400 million years

The Howe Sound to Whistler region has further been shaped by both fluvial and mass wastage processes. There are many river systems in this area that have been created to shed the water from this U-shaped valley. These river systems are in various stages of age ranging from youth to maturity. There are also man made drainage systems to allow water to flow from areas where rivers haven't formed down to the water's edge. With Howe Sound being a U shaped valley, this area is prone to rockslides and landslides.

There are six different types of water erosion: splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, gully erosion, valley or stream erosion, and bank erosion. Splash erosion is when raindrops hit soil and small soil particles are displaced. Sheet erosion is when raindrops remove soil in thin layers. During rill erosion, small concentrated flow paths are created. “These paths create a sediment source and delivery system for hillslope erosion. Areas where precipitation rates exceed soil infiltration rates are more prone to this type of erosion. During gully erosion, water flows in narrow channels during or after heavy rains or melting snow. The gullies can erode to considerable depths. Valley or stream erosion is created by water flowing alongside land. It extends downward, deepening a valley, and extending the valley into the hillside. This occurs more frequently

Running water moves sediment in the processes of erosion and deposition, causing different types of landforms. As you can tell in the picture above, Michigan’s topography plays a huge role on where the faster and slower flowing rivers are located and the transportation of the materials in the water depends on the speed of the rivers. Erosion is the breaking down of those materials by the agent, water. The water can erode the channel laterally and vertically, in the end, making the channel wider and deeper. There are different types of erosion: hydraulic action, corrasion, corrosion, cavitation, and attrition. Hydraulic action (above on the right) takes place at rapids and waterfalls because the force of the water removes rock particles from the bed and banks of the river. A great example of this in Michigan is Canyon Falls on the Sturgeon River. At the waterfall, the water is rushing at a high velocity, especially in the spring, causing rock particles to move downstream, creating a wider and deeper river. Eventually the rivers velocity begins to decrease and particles start to deposit. This could also occur because lack of precipitation or an increase in evaporation. The deposition of materials at different locations of the river that they began changes the shape of the river, and effects Michigan as a whole in the end. The particles can travel all the way to the mouth of the river, in this case, Lake Superior, causing

The Niagara Escarpment AVA is a relatively new viticulture designated area. The area received the designation in 2005 and is now one of the fastest growing wine regions in New York State. This AVA is comprised of a portion of the Niagara Escarpment landform that runs from New York State through Canada into Wisconsin. (Fig. A) The escarpment has formed over time due to erosion of the rock layers. The top rock layer, dolomitic limestone, is more weather resistant causing it to erode slower and creating the escarpment landform.

Nearly 13,000 years ago, glaciers moved across the earth. In the Pacific Northwest they created many rivers, including the Columbia. The rock that the Grand Coulee Dam was built on was carved out by those glaciers creating a sturdy base of the dam. It is located in the rain-shadow of the Cascade Mountain Range in a shrub-steppe grassland, which results in very little rainfall and high temperatures. There have been many Native American tribes, including the Spokane, Sanpoli, Nespelem, Lakes, Colville and many others that have lived along the Columbia River and have relied on it for many of their day-to-day necessities (Columbia Basin Project 2015).

Yosemite Falls is a hanging waterfall created by glacial erosion. As the glacier moved, it carved a U-shaped valley through the mountain and to the Yosemite Valley.(Nature’s Theatre) The Yosemite Creek feeds the waterfall. It starts from the rim of the fall with the creek, then the water drops 1,400ft to the middle gorge. The middle section drop of 600 ft. is hidden from view. The lower part of the waterfall has a drop of 300 ft where the water flows into the Merced River. Yosemite Fall is ephemeral, or seasonal, meaning that it doesn’t run all the time. In the winter, the waterfall has a low flow due to the cold temperatures and frozen water. As the water falls down the waterfall, the water vaporizes and supercools. Ice forms on the cliff, and a ice cone at it’s base. When the sun shines on the fall, it melts the frozen ice and huge slabs break off and fall to the ground below. In the spring, the snow pack melts Yosemite Falls is at it’s peak flow. During the summer, from about late July- August, the waterfall is completely dried up. Yosemite Falls is known as the fifth highest waterfall in the world, and as Yosemite’s premier waterfall. It is the first waterfall you see as you turn into the Yosemite Valley. concluding sentence(Yosemite Nature Notes-Episoode

The present configuration of the Great Lakes basin is the result of the movement of massive glaciers through the mid-continent, a process that began about one million years ago. . . . Studies in the Lake Superior region indicate that a river system and valleys formed by water erosion existed before the Ice Age. The Glaciers undoubtedly scoured these valleys, widening and deepening the and radically changing the drainage of the area (Encyclopedia Britannica )

The levee system has disrupted the natural deposits that are left from the overflow of the river.2

One of nature's most powerful and influential forces is also one of nature's coldest and slowest processes. These great icy rivers are called glaciers and have formed some of the most beautiful scenery on this planet. These enormous frozen bodies of water are often thousands of feet wide and deep and many miles long. They cover millions of acres of land and drastically change the land into beautiful mountains with many amazing features. One of the areas where glaciers have been most influential is in Yosemite National Park in California. Here almost every glacial feature is shown. However, before this information about glaciers in Yosemite was clear, there was the Yosemite Controversy with

In the novels The Orenda by Joseph Boyden and A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, Nao and Snow Falls are forced into different cultures where they are unable to form new relationships and are unaccepted by others causing them to experience depression and a loss of identity. This transition introduces unfamiliar values, traditions, and norms to them resulting in alteration of their behaviors and changes in their beliefs. In The Orenda, Snow Falls loses her Haudenosaunee family and is adopted by the Wendat where at first she wants to succumb to death. However, as time goes on she starts to reform new relationships and then yearns to be a part of the Wendat but has difficulty fitting in both the cultures. In A Tale for the Time Being, Nao

When one thinks about an environmental disaster, the image of a large explosion in a highly industrial area comes to mind. Such is not the case in the Love Canal emergency. Unlike most environmental disasters, the events of Niagara Falls's Love Canal weren't characterized by a known and uncontrollable moment of impact. It developed over a period of several decades, since the effects of leaching chemicals is uncertain and slow in development and the visual effects are very limited. This disaster could have been identified earlier or later for as far as the rest of the world was concerned there was no emergency until the authorities made it public. The importance of Love Canal is that acknowledging the danger that existed

The Iguazu Falls were formed around 132 million years ago from a massive volcanic eruption, that may have been one of the biggest eruptions in the last hundred million years. During the volcanic eruption basaltic Lava flooded the area leaving many cracks due to the earthquakes, and forming the basis of the falls. Before, this happened the land was a desert. Although, Iguazu Falls were formed from the volcanic eruption they also formed from the river running over the hard rock formed from the faults due to the basalt and eruption. These falls are located on the border of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina in South America. They are a long strip of 14 miles of waterfalls and the height of the waterfalls range from 60 to 82 meters. The falls get

Two places I would like to live when I grow up would be either in Toronto, the capital of Ontario, located in southeastern Canada, or Niagara Falls, the most southern point in Ontario, a major tourist city in Canada. Why? Perhaps my primary reason is that Niagara Falls is my hometown and Toronto is the longest place I’ve lived so far—six years. Of course, there are many alternative reasons likewise. Such as the scenery of the Niagara Falls itself is extremely beautiful, moreover natural, hence it is number five of the world’s top visited tourist attractions respectively. According to “The World’s 50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions” by the Huffington Post, 22.5 million people visit annually, acquiring maximum tourists from June through August. This fascinating city overlooks the Horseshoe Falls, otherwise known as the Canadian Falls, which carries nine times more water than its American counterpart. Here, the alluring crescent shaped cataract is a prodigious fifty four meters, or one hundred and seventy seven feet high. Going up close to the falls on the boat was just incredible, although I was only four at the time—I still remember—to think, by what means did nature make something so befittingly stunning! As we neared the falls, the sound of the limpid, fleet water rapids joyfully cascading off the cliff like syrup, consequently pounding against the rocks at the bottom, unmistakably gets louder likewise thundering, until it is deafening. Despite the sound being obstreperous, it is a fraction of nature’s rumbles, making it vibrantly flawless. Accumulating at the bottom, it foamed into lather, bubbling to the surface, shimmering and sparkling as if bejeweled with silver, glinting in the aureate light. At that moment the sun came out, its rays catching onto the watery slide, setting onlookers into a trance. Simultaneously turning it glittery like shreds of silky silver, magical like a spray of fairy dust. While significantly having the same dreamy and illusory façade of a Renaissance painting and the glistening sorcery a mirage brings, it created a filmy mystique around the cascade. As it gurgled within its depths and tinkled on the surface—us onlookers were astonished. Sometimes, a faint band of distinctive