Rapid vs. Waterfall

What is a rapid and what exactly is a waterfall? A rapid is a part of river where current is very fast because of relatively steep gradient of river bed at that place causing an increase in water flow and turbulence. ... A waterfall is a permanent flow of water over the edge of an erosion-resistant cliff.

1. What is the difference between a waterfall and a rapid?
2. How waterfalls and rapids are formed?
3. Is a series of waterfalls or rapids in a river?
4. What are the different types of waterfall?
5. What's a waterfall?
6. What are rapids along a river called?
7. Why are rapids dangerous?
8. How a waterfall is created?
9. Where does a waterfall get its water?
10. What is the top of a waterfall called?
11. What type of waterfall is Niagara Falls?
12. What's the bottom of a waterfall called?

What is the difference between a waterfall and a rapid?

Rapids are stream sections with extremely strong currents, numerous obstacles, and steps in their streambeds. A waterfall is a vertical drop in a streambed. Both are sites of vigorous erosion . Rapids often form where resistant bedrock confines a stream to a narrow channel, and forces an increase in water velocity.

How waterfalls and rapids are formed?

They are formed when the water goes from one hard rock that resists the water's erosion to a softer rock that is easier eroded. The debris formed by the erosion breaks up the flow of the river, but are not big enough to form a waterfall. Over time, rapids are formed.

Is a series of waterfalls or rapids in a river?

Waterfalls, sometimes called cataracts, arise from an abrupt steepening of a river channel that causes the flow of water to drop vertically, or nearly so. Waterfalls of small height and lesser steepness are called cascades; the term is often applied to a series of small falls along a river.

What are the different types of waterfall?

ESTABLISHING WATERFALL TYPES BY GEOMETRICAL CLASSIFICATION

• Plunge: Plunge Waterfalls are defined as waterfalls that drop vertically without touching the underlying cliff face. ...
• Horsetail: ...
• Fan: ...
• Punchbowl: ...
• Block: ...
• Tiered: ...
• Segmented: ...
• Cascades:

What's a waterfall?

A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.

What are rapids along a river called?

Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. ... As flowing water splashes over and around the rocks, air bubbles become mixed in with it and portions of the surface acquire a white colour, forming what is called "whitewater".

Why are rapids dangerous?

They can be extremely dangerous features of a rapid because a person can get trapped underneath them under water. This is especially true of rocks that are undercut on the upstream side. Here, a boater may become pinned against the rock under water. Many whitewater deaths have occurred in this fashion.

How a waterfall is created?

Waterfalls are created when the riverbed changes suddenly from hard rock to soft rock. Rapids are formed where a fast-flowing river quickly cuts downwards through a bed of hard and soft rocks, eroding the soft rock and leaving the hard rocks standing above the water surface.

Where does a waterfall get its water?

Often, waterfalls form as streams flow from soft rock to hard rock. This happens both laterally (as a stream flows across the earth) and vertically (as the stream drops in a waterfall). In both cases, the soft rock erodes, leaving a hard ledge over which the stream falls.

What is the top of a waterfall called?

What type of waterfall is Niagara Falls?

Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by flow rate. Niagara Falls is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power.
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What's the bottom of a waterfall called?