Waterfall formation

Niagara Falls Formation

Geographical Facts

Wildlife

Culture

Tourism

Environmental and Surrounding Areas.

Economics

Agriculture

Surrounding Rocks

Tourist Attractions
Glowing Water

Waterfalls form when a river flows over a band of hard rock situated above a band of soft
rock. The river erodes the harder rock much slower than the softer rock which over a long
period of time creates a vertical drop. The river then falls over this drop as a waterfall. The
river carries a load of materials( which are eroded materials such as mud, sand, boulders
and dissolved materials), and through the processes of hydraulic action( the physical force
of moving water) and abrasion (the wearing away of the river bed using the river's load of
rocks and pebbles.) a plunge pool is formed. When the river drops into this plunge pool it
creates a splash against the backwall of the waterfall and through the process of solution, it
is dissolved. This eventually leads to an overhang which will eventually fall due to gravity
causing the waterfall to retreat upstream.

The formation of Niagara Falls began at the end of the ice age. Large, heavy flows of water
were released from the melting ice, these flows of water then drained into what is now
known as the Niagara River. About 12000 years ago the water plunged over the edge of the
Niagara Escarpment (a long steep slope). Hydrolic action and abrasion also took part in the
formation of Niagara Falls. They come into play when the water is very powerful and
contains lots of energy this picks up other material and goes into deposition.

Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning
the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the
United States. 
The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the
two countries.

 Formed by the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls
have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more
than 50 m (160 ft).  

Why does Niagara Falls not freeze?

Water is still moving beneath the ice, according to Niagara Parks. "It is impossible given the
flow of water, the volume of water that's flowing through and the fact that the ice boom is
in place further up in the river where it's holding ice back," said Janice Thomson, Chair of
Niagara Parks Commission.
Niagara Falls is so blue as the colour comes from the dissolved salts and “rock flour”, very
finely ground rock, picked up primarily from the limestone bed but probably also from the
shales and sandstones under the limestone cap at the Falls.
What is the brown stuff at Niagara Falls?
The brown foam below Niagara Falls is a natural result of tons of water plummeting into the
depths below. It is not dangerous. The brown color is clay, which contains suspended
particles of decayed vegetative matter. It is mostly from the shallow eastern basin of Lake
Erie (which is about 217km from Niagara Falls).
The fresh water that plunges over Niagara takes around 685,000 gallons (2.6 million liters)
of water from four great lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan Lake Huron and Lake Erie - in
fact, ⅕ of the world's fresh water is found in these four great lakes.
Niagara Falls is one of the most famous waterfalls in the world. This magnificent waterfall is
nature's creation and not man-made. It is a group of 3 waterfalls on the Niagara River,
which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

The area around Niagara Falls is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including mammals, bird,
reptiles and amphibians.
The Niagara region hosts more than 300 species of bird. The more common varieties in the
area include robins, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, woodpeckers, wrens, finches, Canada
geese, thrushes and gulls. There are quite a few birds of prey in the region, too – red-tailed
hawks, several species of owl, including the great horned owl (the largest in the region),
sparrow hawks and turkey vultures.
There are over 50 species of mammal in the Niagara region, including squirrels, skunks and
raccoons, as well as white-tailed deer, weasels, rabbits, red foxes and muskrats.
One of the largest and most diverse populations of reptiles and amphibians can be found in
the Niagara Region. The common garter snake and milk snake are two of the snake species
that can be found nearby. Bullfrogs and the American toad are typical sights as well. The
turtles may emerge on a sunny day to gain warmth. This region is also home to the painted
turtle and the snapping turtle.

There are many negative effects on tourism at Niagara Falls. One of these is the litter that
the tourists leave behind. This impacts the quality of the environment. The litter can cause
harm to the surrounding animals and kill or stunt plant growth. Another of the negative
effects is pollution. The transportation tourists take leaves off greenhouse gasses that
damage the ozone layer.

Streets tourists would not drive down get neglected, cracked and potholed, while streets in
the tourism district have been repaved several times. Houses are constantly torn down to
make way for bigger, taller hotels. Soon there will be no skyline left, just a wall of hotels.
Chain restaurants move in, and push family owned, historical restaurants out of business.

Niagara Falls receives about 20 million tourists each year 

Economics plays a huge role on the local area around Niagara Falls. In 2021 791.8 million
euro was raised by tourist spending, which is a 75% increase from 2020.
The tourism from Niagara Falls has huge economic effects in the area of employment. The
Niagara County employs 13,879 people which is 21% of the total workforce. This prevents
migration in the area as many jobs are available for the local people. 

The tourism also brings a lot of wealth to the area ensuring that money can be put into the
Niagara County, which leads to good infrastructure etc. This means that Niagara Falls is a
well-established area and a great place to live. They have a good healthcare system, strong
educational system, cultural and recreational attractions, dynamic business community, and
abundance of exciting, vibrant neighborhoods, you'll enjoy a work-life balance that's hard to
beat.
Niagara Falls is also a nice place to live as Niagara Fall’s housing expenses are 16% lower
than the national average and the utility prices are 3% lower than the national average.
Transportation expenses like bus fares and gas prices are 1% lower than the national
average. Niagara Falls has grocery prices that are 3% lower than the national average.
Agriculture is a very important sector in Niagara both culturally and economically. As of
2016, Niagara was home to 1,827 farms covering 218,251 acres of farmland. In 2016, gross
farm receipts in Niagara totalled $838.1 million
Niagara’s agricultural base is diverse with a large number of farms across a variety of farm
types.
Fruit and tree nut farming; oilseed and grain farming; and greenhouse, nursery, and
floriculture production are the top 3 farm types by number of farms.
There is also a substantial number of animal, poultry and egg and other crop (tobacco, hay,
combination and maple) farms.
Vegetable and melon, sheep and goat, and hog and pig farm types have the lowest number
of farms although the number is still substantial.

Rocks such as dolostone, sandstone, shale and limestone are commonly found around
Niagara Falls. These rocks belong to the sedimentary rock group. Sedimentary rocks form
when rock is loosened by weathering and transported to a basin where it is buried deep
down. Over time these layers of sediment become compressed and cemented forming
sedimentary rock. The flowing water from Niagara falls erodes these rocks. The water goes
through the cracks in the limestone rock as its permeable which washes the minerals from
the rock, these minerals are what give strength to the rock, therefore the washing of the
minerals weakens the rock and increases the rate that the rock is fractured at. Freeze-Thaw-
Action also erodes the rocks around Niagara Falls.(explanation). Today, erosion of the
American Falls is estimated at 3 – 4 inches every 10 years. Crystals can also be found around
Niagara Falls. Early on you could find well formed red & dark red Sphalerite clusters. You
could also find large white & pink dolomite clusters, extensive cluster of white/yellow
Calcite clusters, clear Selenite crystals & masses, white Gypsum, white Chert, purple, blue,
yellow, & clear Fluorite.

Hundreds of LED lights are housed in three locations across the Niagara Gorge in Niagara
Falls, Ontario. Together, these lights work to create a breathtaking view not to be missed
and are illuminated every night of the year beginning at dusk.
The display is part of the regular nightly illumination of the Falls, with the five-minute
lighting display playing through on the hour, at 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening
between November 12, 2022, and February 20, 2023.
OSRAM designed and installed a whole new system of nighttime illumination for the Niagara
Falls. These lights use 4,000-watt OSRAM XBO xenon short arc lamps that highlight the
constant haze of spray and vapor, causing the falls to shine in every color of the rainbow.
Special lights are housed in the Illumination Tower, next to Queen Victoria Place; on the roof
of Table Rock Centre, at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls; and deep in the Niagara Gorge,
across from the American Falls. Together, these lights work to create a breathtaking view
not to be missed
When the weather is nice out, you may want to take a stroll along the walkways next to the
Niagara Parkway. The view of the illuminated Falls from here provides a stunning backdrop
for your evening walk.
Niagara Falls is in a public location on Niagara Parks land. It can be accessed for free 24/7 all
year around.