I WONDER- How Are Waterfalls Formed?

Waterfalls form when a river encounters a sudden landscape change, often due to a harder rock band. The softer downstream rocks erode over time, creating a drop known as a waterfall. This erosion process continues over millennia, causing the waterfall to move upstream and carve out a gorge.

What typically causes a waterfall to form in a river or stream?

• A sudden change in the landscape

• A change in water color

• A decrease in water flow

• An increase in water temperature

What role does the hardness of rock play in the formation of waterfalls?

• Waterfalls form over harder bands of rock

• Softer rocks create larger waterfalls

• Harder rocks increase water temperature

• Harder rocks prevent waterfalls from forming

How is the drop of a waterfall created?

• By the accumulation of debris

• Through the erosion of softer rocks downstream

• By the increase in water speed

• Through the deposition of minerals

What happens to a waterfall over thousands of years due to erosion?

• It disappears completely

• It recedes upstream and forms a gorge

• It moves downstream

• It becomes a lake

What is the long-term effect of erosion on the landscape around a waterfall?

• It forms a gorge

• It creates a mountain

• It flattens the landscape

• It creates a desert