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| − | [[image:Base of Tower Fall with rainbow-750px.JPG|thumb|right|[[Tower Fall]] in [[Yellowstone National Park]]]]
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| − | A '''waterfall''' is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a [[stream]], flowing over an [[erosion]]-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. Waterfalls may also be artificial, and they are sometimes used for [[garden]] and [[landscape]] ornament.
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| − | Some waterfalls form in [[mountain|montane]] environments where erosion is rapid and stream courses may be subject to sudden and catastrophic change. In such cases, the waterfall may not be the end product of many years of water action over a region, but rather the result of relatively sudden geological processes such as [[thrust fault]]s or [[volcano|volcanic action]].
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| − | Most waterfalls are the result of many years of action of water on the underlying strata. Typically, a stream will flow across an area of formations, and more resistant rock strata will form shelves across the streamway, elevated above the further stream bed when the less erosion-resistant rock around it disappears. Over a period of years, the edges of this shelf will gradually break away and the waterfall will steadily move upstream. Often, the rock strata just below the more resistant shelf will be of a softer type, and will erode out to form a shallow cave-like formation known as a [[rock shelter]] (also known as a rock house) under and behind the waterfall.
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| − | Streams often become wider and more shallow just above waterfalls due to flowing over the rock shelf, and there is usually a deep pool just below the waterfall due to the [[kinetic energy]] of the water hitting the bottom.
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| − | Waterfalls are a hindrance to river transportation, and so the [[Welland Canal]] was built in [[1829]] to allow ships to pass [[Niagara Falls]] in the [[Great Lakes (North America)|Great Lakes]].
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| − | [[Image:Waterfall_formation.png|frame|none|Waterfall formation]]
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| − | ==Types of waterfalls==
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| − | Certain terms describe several common types of waterfalls:
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| − | *Block, where the water descends from a relatively wide stream or river;
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| − | *[[Cascade]], where the water descends a series of rock steps;
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| − | *Fan, where the water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with [[bedrock]];
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| − | *Horsetail, where descending water maintains some contact with bedrock;
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| − | *Plunge, where the water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface;
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| − | *Punchbowl, where the water descends in a constricted form, then spreads out in a wider pool;
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| − | *Segmented, where distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends; and
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| − | *Tiered, where water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
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