Attractive in their dangerous beauty, waterfalls have always attracted attention and excited human imagination.

It is especially fascinating to realize that people have absolutely no control over the largest and most powerful of them, such as Niagara, Victoria or Iguazu. They show us the beauty and power of living nature.

Geographical object. The meaning of waterfalls

Powerful waterfalls are a virtually inexhaustible source of energy, which is widely used in the construction of hydroelectric power stations. Staying near waterfalls brings not only aesthetic pleasure, but also has a healing effect: water falling from a height forms water dust, in which negatively charged ions are formed under the influence of sunlight. Such dust, saturated with plant phytoncides, which are always in abundance near waterfalls, has a very great positive effect on the body.

However, there are also contacts with waterfalls that are unpleasant for humans. Waterfalls and rapids that cannot be controlled are a serious obstacle to navigation. Therefore, on many rivers where there are waterfalls, shipping canals are laid, allowing liners and ships to make a safe journey.

Characteristics and types of waterfalls

A waterfall is a stream of water falling from a steep cliff. Often large waterfalls consist of a chain of small rapids and cascades. One of the features of large waterfalls is their “movement”: the constant fall of water leads to the destruction of the ledge and the movement of the waterfall up the river.

It is noteworthy that almost all the powerful waterfalls in the world are located on the border of two or three states. And this is understandable, because a large waterfall is a natural insurmountable barrier that protects the territory of the state much more reliably than the most modern devices and weapons.

Types of waterfalls:

  • cataract- a large waterfall in which the bulk of the water falls in a wide sheet from a relatively small height;
  • water slide- a smooth, sloping waterfall without steep drops of water;
  • cascade- a series of waterfalls located one after another.

Origin of waterfalls

The origin of waterfalls varies. For example, they may appear due to the fact that the river crosses a natural ledge that was formed before the appearance of water. In another case, the appearance of a waterfall may be a consequence of the activity of the river itself, eroding soft layers of rock.

In the mountains, a large number of waterfalls owe their appearance to tectonic activity. Also in the mountainous regions there are many waterfalls that arose in the hanging valleys due to an excess of water in the rivers that came down from the glaciers.

The largest waterfalls in the world

Since waterfalls vary in width, height and amount of water carried, there is no one that holds the title of largest. Let's list some of the most powerful and wide waterfalls that adorn our planet.

(Kon Waterfall)

So, the most wide waterfall peace - Con- located on the border of Cambodia and Laos on the Mekong River. The Kona drainage is more than 12.5 km wide. Actually, this is a cascading system of waterfalls located in an amazing beautiful place. By the way, Kon is also considered one of the calmest among famous waterfalls. Opened in 1920.

(Iguazu Falls)

The title of the most powerful waterfall in the world belongs to Iguazu, aka "Devil's Throat", on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Every minute, over the ledge of the waterfall, such an amount of water pours down that it is difficult to even imagine - 700 thousand m 3! Iguazu, with 275 cascades, is not only dangerous and powerful, it is also breathtakingly beautiful. The waterfall was discovered in 1541.

(Niagara Falls)

And, of course, we cannot fail to mention the most famous waterfalls in the world - NiagaraVictoria. Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River on the border of the United States and Canada, is relatively low - its height is only 52 m. However, due to the huge amount of water discharged and its great length, Niagara Falls is considered the most powerful in North America.

(Victoria Falls)

Waterfall Victoria, named after the Queen of Great Britain, was known to the local tribes under the name "Thundering Smoke", which, of course, more closely matches the impression it gives. The width of the waterfall is 1800 m and the height is 128 m.

Tallest waterfall

(Angel Falls)

The tallest waterfall in the world is Angel, located on the Churun ​​River in beautiful Venezuela. Overall height Angel is 1054 m, the height of the free fall of water is 979 m. In the language local residents its name translates to “Waterfall of the Deepest Place.”

Angel was discovered in 1935 by Juan Angel, a Venezuelan pilot who first flew over the waterfall, from whom it got its name.

GOU NPO PU No. 24

Supervisor:, computer science teacher

Research:

Origin of waterfalls,

Signs of waterfalls,

Application of waterfalls.

Tell us about the largest and most popular waterfalls.

Tell us about the waterfalls of the Kandalaksha region

Waterfall- a ledge in a river bed from which water cascades. Depending on the

The outline of the ledge distinguishes transitional forms from the waterfall to the rapids. A typical waterfall has a steep or vertical ledge. Less steep waterfalls are called

water slides. A series of low waterfalls (cascades or

cataracts). With even greater destruction of the ledge, the waterfall turns into rapids,

rapids or rapids. The waterfall ledge is continuously being destroyed both above and at

grounds. Water, hitting the bottom of the tracks at the foot of the ledge, gradually produces

pothole where whirlpools form. Rock fragments carried by the river current from above

getting into whirlpools, they come here into rotational motion. Water, acting like millstones, grinds out deep (1m or more) “giant cauldrons”, as well as various water wells and niches that destroy the base of the ledge.
The overhanging layers under water pressure and their own gravity from time to time collapse to the foot of the waterfall. As a result, the river slowly retreats up the valley. The speed of the waterfall's retreat and the duration of its existence are very different; they are mainly determined by the resistance of the rocks that form the river bed and the conditions of their occurrence. If the layers consist of rocks that are resistant to erosion and lie horizontally on

less durable rocks (for example Niagara), the waterfall will have

longest duration of existence. Such a structure

even with a fairly rapid retreat of the waterfall, it is favorable

maintaining the steepness of the ledge, and often the initial height

falls. On the contrary, layers that do not lie horizontally, although

consisting of dense rocks are subject to more energetic

erosion and allow faster destruction of the ledge.

The ledges of the waterfalls have different origins. First of all, they are characteristic of recently emerged rivers. In this case, the ledges are an expression of the original relief that existed before the emergence of rivers. Very often, waterfalls are created for tectonic reasons - new faults. There are known waterfalls formed by damming river valleys with lavas and landslides. Often ledges also arise from the unequal intensity of the eroding force of the river itself.

A river, crossing a terrain composed successively of hard and loose rocks, cuts into rocks that are susceptible to erosion much faster than into resistant ones. The resistant layers that are exposed form ledges that can cause waterfalls and rapids even in plain conditions.

Most often, waterfalls are found in mountainous countries, especially in areas that have been subject to glaciation. This type includes the grandiose waterfalls of Norway, falling from the steep cliffs of the Fjords. There are many waterfalls in countries that survived continental icing (Karelo-Finnish SSR, Scandinavia, Finland and Canada), composed of persistent crystalline rocks, in which rivers slowly develop channel swaps.

Based on external features - the width and height of the fall - waterfalls are divided into two types. In the first type of waterfall, the width significantly exceeds the height of the fall; this type is typical large rivers, throwing off a huge mass of water from the entire width of the cornice. Thus, the width of the Canadian part of Niagara Falls reaches 914 m with a ledge height of approx. 50m. The second type of waterfall is characterized by a huge drop height and a narrow stream, often breaking into several cascades. This is one of the waterfalls on the Merced River in the Yosemite Valley in California with a height of 792.5 m (three separate cascades). There are also combinations of both types.

The presence of waterfalls on rivers impedes navigation. The waterfall is a source of inexhaustible reserves of white coal.

In capitalist countries, the energy of waterfalls, with some exceptions, is used to an extremely insignificant extent, which especially applies to colonial and dependent countries.

There are many waterfalls on the territory of the Russian Federation, the energy of which is widely used. The energy of the Narva Falls on the Narva River, which falls from a ledge 7m high and 150m wide, has been used for a long time. develops a power of 75000 kW. Known on the same ledge Sablinsky waterfall. The waterfalls in the Karelo-Finnish Republic are widely known: Kivach (Im, almost ceased to exist due to the diversion of river waters

In Crimea, the most popular waterfall is Uchan-Su in the vicinity of the city of Yalta. Among the waterfalls of the Caucasus, the Honey Falls near the city of Kislovodsk and the Agur waterfalls near the city of Sochi are famous. Tseysky waterfall (15m) on the Tsey river, powerful waterfall on the Kuban River, 3 km above the mouth of the Teberda River, as well as waterfalls in the Teberda region and Klukhorsky pass(for example, Muruju) and many others. etc. A large number of waterfalls up to 60m high are concentrated Eastern Sayan Mountains. Particularly remarkable is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Russian Federation


Ukovsky on the Uk River, 18 km from the city of Nizhneudinsk. Of the countless waterfalls of Altai, they have long been famous for their beauty: Gudon on the Chulyshman River, Dzhenayek on the Ploskaya River, alluvial in the Upper Katun basin, beautiful waterfalls in the area of ​​Lake Teletskoye and many others. etc. Large waterfalls are also found on Kuril Islands. The most majestic of them is the Ilya Muromets waterfall (141m) on the island of Iturup. A large number of waterfalls in the cities of Central Asia.

Outside the Russian Federation, the largest waterfalls include the following in Northern

America (except Niagara): Yosemite Falls, one of the highest on earth,

of which the highest is located in Yosemite national park(height 792.5m),

Yellowstone Falls, as well as the Great Falls on the Missouri River, near its confluence with the Mississippi River; Large waterfall (90m) on the Hamilton River in Labrador, four waterfalls on the Snake River (55-65m); in South America, the Tekendam Falls on the Bogota River, the multi-cascade La Guaira Falls on the Parana River, the Roraima (457m) and Caieter (226m) waterfalls on the Potaro River, the Iguazu Falls (maximum height 65-70m) on the river of the same name, the width of which exceeds 3 km (including islands); in America, Victoria Falls (120 m high, 1800 m wide) on the Zambezi River and Kalambo Falls (427 m) on the river of the same name on the border of Northern Radesia and Tanganyika stand out, as well as Stanley Falls on the Congo River (seven waterfalls with a total drop of 40 m ). There are many waterfalls on rivers in the people's democracies of Asia: in China (especially on the island of Taiwan), in the Diamond Mountains of Korea. In other countries, the horseshoe-shaped Kuril waterfalls (253m) are known, in South India on the Shiravati River. There are many gigantic waterfalls in the Himalayas (India), as well as in Japan. On the island New Zealand The three-cascade Sutherland Falls (580m) on the Arthur River is widely known.

Of the numerous waterfalls in Western Europe, in addition to the very abundant Rhine Falls (21m) near Schaffhausen, Alpine waterfalls stand out especially in terms of size and abundance of water. In Scandinavia, the most famous waterfalls in Norway are Bjolvefoss (866m), Tysse (414m), and Rjukanfosse (“smoking”, 145m). In Sweden - Trollheta waterfalls (33m) on the Göta-Elf river and others. There are more than two thousand rapids and waterfalls in Finland, of which there are 12 rapids, waterfalls and waterfalls on the Vuokse River over a 25 km stretch, including the Tanienkoski waterfall (5.6m) and the Bolshaya Imatra waterfall.

Waterfalls in the vicinity of the Kandalaksha region:



Huge, roaring streams of water falling from a great height can fascinate anyone: the most beautiful waterfalls on the planet amaze, delight, impress and attract with their unique charm. They also represent difficult natural boundaries, so the largest waterfalls in width are usually located on the border of two and sometimes three states.

A waterfall is a falling stream of river water from a high steep cliff or slope that crosses the river bed, forming a sharp drop in height, and the height of the fall must exceed one meter (anything less is ledges and thresholds). Waterfalls form in mountainous areas where the river carries its waters over different rock formations. Some rocks are hard enough not to succumb to erosion, others are too soft and under the influence of rapid mountain rivers They can be destroyed quite quickly.

As a result, a height difference gradually begins to form: the waters of the river begin to fall from hard to softer soil, resulting in the formation of a steep and sheer cliff. This happens until the water reaches a solid layer of rock, which stops the fall of the water, after which the river continues its movement in the channel, and at the foot, as a result of the impacts of strong water jets, huge “erosion” boilers (reservoirs) are formed.

Waterfalls can have a tectonic origin, being located on the boundary of a fault that separates two blocks of the earth's crust, one of which is lowered to a certain height in relation to each other. For example, the most big waterfall in the world, Angel, whose height is 1054 meters, was formed in the highlands, at the point of transition of one plateau to another (near the Churun ​​River, which brought its waters to the cliff, there was no choice but to start falling down and, ending up on the lower plateau , continue on your way).

These unique formations can unexpectedly appear in one place or another of the river - as a result of an earthquake, ground shift, volcanic activity, etc. Human activity can also cause waterfalls to form, such as when overflowing bodies of water overflow a dam.

Varieties

Since a cliff, like a river, can have different shapes and be of different sizes, there is a classification consisting of a large number of types of falling streams. They are divided by height, width and depth of water.

For example, Angel in Venezuela (1034 m) is the most high waterfall in the world, the widest is Khon in Laos (its length together with the islands is 10,783 m), the deepest is Inga in the Congo (42,476 m3/s). But Victoria on the Zambezi River, 1.8 km wide and 120 m high, is considered the only waterfall in the world whose height exceeds 100 meters and width is more than a kilometer.

Speaking about the types of waterfalls, the following types can be distinguished:

  • Water slopes - the rock has a slight slope, and therefore the water flows do not have a steep angle of incidence;
  • Cataracts are wide, but low;
  • Cascades - consist of a series water flows, falling one after another from stone ledges (the widest cascade on our planet is Khon in Laos: its length along the river and width, together with the islands, is about 10 km).

Movement

Interestingly, the waterfalls do not have a clearly fixed location and move up the river. This happens due to the enormous pressure of water flows, which every year erode the rocks more and more, and the rocks located at the edge break off and fall down, as a result of which the water begins to fall from new border cliff located a couple of centimeters upstream.


For example, the famous Niagara moves 70-90 cm per year, and this moment moved away from the place of its formation by more than ten kilometers. Therefore, there is a possibility that in 20 thousand years this large waterfall will reach Lake Erie and cease to exist.

Soothing sounds

Scientists have long noticed that the sound of a waterfall has a calming effect on the human psyche. For example, Khon in Laos is the calmest, so its sound is considered the most favorable for sick people. If the patient’s financial capabilities allow it, doctors recommend visiting Khon; if not, they let you listen to the soothing sound of a waterfall on a disc.

During treatment, the sound of not only this, but also other most famous waterfalls on the planet is used, and the noise of the waterfall can be completely different - from gentle murmur to thunderous peals.

For example, the noise of Niagara during the day can be heard at a distance of two kilometers, and at night, when audibility improves, up to seven kilometers. It is interesting that thunder-like peals are used to their advantage not only by people, but also by representatives of the animal world: the noise of the waterfall is also a reference point for birds during migrations.

Valleys of tumbling rivers

The number of waterfalls in a given area directly depends on how many rivers flow in a given area and the complexity of the terrain. If only one river flows, there is only one falling stream. But if there are a sufficient number of rivers and mountain streams in the area, then the abundance of rivers flowing from the slopes is often amazing.

For example, the second name of Norway is the Land of Waterfalls: due to the huge number of rivers and high rocky mountains they are observed almost everywhere, while fourteen of them are the highest in Europe, and three are among the eight highest waterfalls in the world.

In addition, there are many countries that, although they cannot be characterized in the same way as Norway, on their territories you can see the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, located one after another - the valley of waterfalls. One of the most famous places of this kind is Yosemite. national park: the valley of waterfalls located on its territory is the only place in a world where in a small area there are many large and world-famous waterfalls.

But in Europe, the most famous valley of the Lauterbrunnen waterfalls is located in Swiss Alps: There are 72 cascading streams, some of which are over a hundred meters high, and the most popular waterfall in this area is Staubbach, with a height of over 300 meters.

Another valley of waterfalls is located in the Caucasus near Sochi. These are “Thirty-three waterfalls on the Dzhegosh stream”, located one after another for half a kilometer. The highest waterfall reaches only ten meters.

At the bottom of the ocean

Relatively recently, scientists discovered that waterfalls at the bottom of the world's oceans (some of them exist in reality, and some are an optical illusion) over the past decades, about seven underwater waterfalls have been found. Unfortunately, moving streams in the middle of a body of water are extremely difficult to capture on camera and fully study them, and therefore it is quite difficult to see and detect these natural phenomena.

It is known that they arose in places with complex terrain ocean floor, where there is a difference between the salinity level of the water and its temperature: warm salty water water, which has greater density, rushes down in a huge stream to displace less dense and fresher water.

Underwater waterfalls are quite large and are not inferior in size to their terrestrial counterparts, and some are even much larger. For example, between Tasmania and Australia there is a large underwater waterfall, which is 400 m long and 150 km wide. The largest waterfall underwater is located in the Gulf of Denmark between Iceland and Greenland: its height is 4 km, and its length reaches 200 km (it can well be called the most full-flowing waterfall our planet).

Despite the fact that it is not easy to see underwater waterfalls, nature has provided us with the opportunity to imagine exactly what this amazing phenomenon looks like by creating near the island of Mauritius, located in the west. Indian Ocean, near Madagascar, the illusion of an underwater waterfall. It was formed thanks to a unique combination of coral reefs, amazing water clarity, sand and silt deposits.

Unfortunately, this amazing natural phenomenon can only be observed from a bird's eye view, and such a walk is not cheap: sightseeing tour a 15-minute helicopter ride will cost $450 for two.

Knowing my love for waterfalls, I was recently given a home fountain with water flowing down the steps. I look at it and remember the beauty of the Shinok waterfalls in the Altai Territory. Although I have visited a bunch of waterfalls in our country, it was the Shinok Cascade that sank into my soul. And only recently I started thinking, how do they even appear?

How waterfalls appear

If we talk about most rivers, they flow calmly across the plains, and nothing interferes with them. If there are differences in height, then all this is caused by the natural topography. Whatever one may say, the water will slowly but surely wash its channel. What happens if there is hard rock in the way of the river that is difficult to wash away? That's right, water from such steep slopes will not flow, but fall. Such a place is usually called a waterfall.


Some waterfalls were formed after the melting of glaciers, which leave behind deep depressions. By the way, the famous Finnish Imatra waterfall appeared in this way.

And some rivers still manage to erode the bed with solid rock, and then we can observe a cascade with water falling along natural steps.

What are the most beautiful waterfalls?

I'm not the only one who has a special feeling for waterfalls. Every year thousands of tourists come to different parts of the planet to see the most beautiful of them live:

  • Niagara Falls;
  • Victoria Falls;
  • Rhine Falls;
  • Iguazu Falls.

Our country also has plenty of such natural attractions, including Kivach, Uchar, Olyapkin, etc. The western part of Russia is predominantly flat, so the most beautiful waterfalls are located among the mountains: in the Caucasus, Altai and the Urals.

Why are waterfalls useful?

Waterfalls are not only a 100% tourist attraction, their benefits are hidden much deeper. Man managed to tame them. It's simple - creating a hydroelectric power station.


It works something like this: falling water has enormous energy, and installing a turbine on a river path will cause it to spin very quickly. It is the rotation of the turbine that starts the most powerful generators that generate electricity.