Waterfalls

Hill Stations Tour • Waterfalls

Earth is full of various stunning geographical features which make earth a beautiful place to live in. It has also helped in flourishing the tourism industry. With the discovery of various such geographical features the tourism industry is at its high. There are various such geographical features, waterfall being the common example. Waterfall is a geological formation, which have resulted from water. The waterfall generally flows in the form of stream over various rock formations that break in elevation at a certain point.

Most of the waterfalls are found in the mountains due to the fact that water force is very high in mountains. In such cases, the waterfalls are not the product of several years; instead they can form anytime, anywhere. Whenever there is a landslide or any volcano erupts a waterfall can form. There are artificial waterfalls too, which are man-made and can be generally seen in gardens or parks.

Formation There are various types of waterfalls and most of them are formed in a similar manner. A river flows over various steps that are formed in a rock due to the fault line. With the passage of time, the steps would break down and thus the waterfall would freely flow and fall at a place, where a gorge is formed. With the passage of time, the most resistant rock will break down and fall at the base of waterfall. Thus a large number of rocks get deposited at the base of the waterfall. These rocks further break down and erode the base thus creating a big pool. There are various types of waterfalls, which are listed below.

Types of waterfalls

• Block waterfall-
In this type of waterfall; water falls down from a much wider stream or river.
• Cataract waterfall-
All the large waterfalls come under this category.
• Cascade waterfall-
In this category; water falls in a series of various rock steps.
• Horsetail waterfall-
In this type of waterfall, the water while descending continues to have some contact with the bedrocks.
• Fan waterfall-
In this type, the water while descending spreads horizontally but still maintains the contact with the bedrock.
• Punchbowl waterfall-

Waterfalls in India

International Waterfalls