The Ancient Waterfall That Was Five Times the Size of Niagara Falls
Created from a catastrophic flood
Niagara Falls is famous for its size and for the amount of water that pours over it every day. It is one of the most visited sites in North America, and for good reason. But far away from the hustle and bustle of common tourist attractions stands a geological monument that tells a breathtaking tale.
Located in Central Washington, Dry Falls is a large cliff face that stands over a small lake. At first glance, the cliffs do not seem all that remarkable. The American West is filled with such features. But if you take a look with a geologist’s eye you will see something incredible. Dry Falls was once a waterfall similar in composition to Niagara Falls but much, much larger.
The thing that gives Niagara Falls its shape is the way that water flows. Water typically flows faster in the center of a river than at the edges. This means that erosion happens more quickly near the center of the water, leading to a horseshoe shape as the water erodes the middle faster than the edges. You can see that the same thing occurred at Dry Falls but on a much larger scale.
Gazing at Dry Falls allows you to gaze into the distant past and see something that unfolded during one of Earth’s most recent periods of geologic…
