Who has not heard of Niagara Falls, that great waterfall that has worked as a natural setting for wonderful photographs, postcards that travel the world, and as a benchmark for many web pages? Considering their great beauty and importance, we are going to present you some curious facts about these waterfalls located in North America:
An interesting fact about their origin: Niagara Falls were formed more than twelve thousand years ago when a natural effect produced by the movement of a huge glacier that came from Canada and made a journey towards the eastern part of North America caused the formation of other glaciers in the Niagara River and great lakes of this continent. All this process produced an increase in water flow, which in turn caused considerable erosion in the rocks, giving rise to a waterfall of a thousand meters wide and 54 meters high.
Origin of their name: These falls owe their name to the river of the same name, whose term “Niagara” comes from the dialect used by the Iroquois Indians, the first settlers in the area who lived near “Lake Erie” and who, shocked by the greatness of these waterfalls, believed that they were the home of Hinu, who was the God of Thunder, so they decided to call them “Niagara”, which means thunder of water.
They hold the world record: Today Niagara Falls hold the world record for the place with the highest volume of waterfall on the planet, although they are not the highest or widest; but this amount of water is due to the fact that they are a kind of funnel that collects three different waterfalls. This volume is 110,000 meters 3 per minute, which is equivalent to about three thousand tons of water per second.
They are a great source of energy: The United States and Canada have a water resource from Niagara Falls, which is basic for the production of energy and drinking water, which provides both countries with more than 4 million kilowatts of electricity, in addition to 20% of the drinking water consumed by the US cities closest to the falls.
They have great ecological wealth: This place is full of flora and fauna species of which many of them are in danger of extinction, such as the lake sturgeon and the American bald eagle, as well as species of fish that fall through free falls, whose foam that works as a mattress allows 90% of them to survive. On the other hand, there are some 600 species of plants of which 14 are in danger of extinction.
One day that Niagara Falls ran out of water: That day arrived, and curiously these immense waterfalls ran out of water. It was on March 29, 1848, when at midnight there was no water in the great falls for almost 40 continuous hours. This phenomenon was due to violent waves of wind that caused the transfer of the ice blocks to the projections of Lake Eire, covering the channels of the Niagara River, and therefore the water did not flow towards the falls.
Scenographic protagonist of television series and movies: The supremacy and spectacular panoramic views provided by Niagara Falls have given them the attention of many television and film products, making them the natural setting for films such as Chucky’s girlfriend or Niagara, Pirates of the Caribbean and Superman II, as well as some episodes of the television series “Ninja Turtles”.
The great act of magic and stunts: The famous magician David Copperfield made a spectacular demonstration called “The Challenge of Niagara Falls” in 1990, when he apparently threw himself from the top, locked up and tied in a sarcophagus, to later appear in a helicopter that flew over the zone.
The great leaps into the void at Niagara Falls: This impressive place has witnessed great leaps, being the most remembered free falls the one made by Sam Patch, who threw himself from a springboard in 1829, and the other by Annie Edson Taylor, who jumped locked in a barrel in 1901. They both survived the big impact, which was unlikely. However, there is an average of 25 people per year who die when jumping, some for fun and others to kill themselves.
An impressive source of tourism: An estimated thirty million people visit Niagara Falls during all seasons every year because the weather is very favorable. This activity generates great profits for tourism and commercial sector, especially in cities such as Ontario in Canada and New York in the United States, from where very interesting tourist packages are offered.
Niagara Falls have a life of their own: The movement that these great waterfalls have experienced over time seems to give them a life of their own, and it is that they have moved about eleven kilometres throughout their 12,000 years of existence, product of water erosion and rock movement that affects both the volume of water and its height; the reason why specialists in the subject affirm that, although the time in which they will cease to exist cannot be specified, it is believed that they will disappear within 30,000 years.
ALFA