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Waterfall Facts & Worksheets

A waterfall is a section of a river or stream where water falls over a vertical or series of sharp drops.

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A waterfall is a section of a river or stream where water falls over a vertical or series of sharp drops. Meltwater can also cascade over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf, resulting in waterfalls.

See the fact file below for more information on Waterfalls, or you can download our 28-page Waterfall worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Formation of Waterfall

  • A waterfall is the precipitous fall of a river or other body of water over a rocky ledge into a plunge pool below. Cascades are another name for waterfalls. The process of erosion, or the wearing away of ground, is crucial in the production of waterfalls. Waterfalls contribute to decline as well.
  • Waterfalls are frequently formed when streams move from soft rock to hard rock. This happens both laterally, when a river flows across land, and when the stream descends vertically in a waterfall.
  • The soft rock erodes in both circumstances, leaving a sturdy ledge over which the stream falls. 
  • A fall line is a hypothetical path that parallel rivers follow as they flow from the uplands to the lowlands.
  • Many waterfalls in an area aid geologists and hydrologists in determining a place’s fall line and underlying geological structure. 
  • A stream carries sediment as it runs. Residue can consist of minor silt, pebbles, or even boulders. Sediment may erode soft rock stream beds like sandstone or limestone.
  • The stream’s channel finally cuts so deeply into the bed of the stream that only more difficult rock, such as granite, remains. These granite rocks produce cliffs and ledges, and waterfalls form. The velocity of a stream rises as it approaches a waterfall, increasing the amount of erosion that occurs.
  • Water action at the peak of a waterfall may erode rocks to make them exceedingly flat and smooth—water and silt cascade down the waterfall, destroying the plunge pool at the bottom. 
  • The crashing torrent of water may also generate violent whirlpools that damage the rock underneath the plunge pool. 
  • The erosion at the foot of a waterfall can be severe, causing the cascade to “recede.” The region behind the waterfall has eroded, forming a hollow, cave-like structure known as a “rock shelter.” 
  • The rocky ledge (called the outcropping) may eventually collapse, throwing rocks into the stream bed and plunge pool below. 
  • As a result, the waterfall “recesses” many meters upstream. The waterfall erosion process begins anew, eroding the stones of the previous protrusion. 
  • Erosion is only one of the processes that might result in waterfalls. 
  • A waterfall can occur along a fissure or in the Earth’s crust. An avalanche, landslide, glacier, or volcano may also disrupt stream beds and contribute to waterfall development.

Classifying Waterfalls

  • There is no common waterfall classification system. Waterfalls are classified by some scientists depending on their average amount of water. The Congo River bends in a series of rapids at Inga Falls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it is a Class 10 waterfall on this scale. The amount of water spilled by Inga Falls is estimated to be 25,768 cubic meters per second (910,000 cubic feet per second). 
  • Another prominent method of categorizing waterfalls is by breadth. 
  • Khone Phapheng Falls in Laos is one of the widest waterfalls.
  • The Mekong River flows through relatively modest rapids at Khone Phapheng Falls. 
  • The Khone Phapheng Falls are approximately 10,783 meters wide (35,376 feet). Waterfalls are also classed based on their height. 
  • Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfall, cascades 979 meters (3,212 ft) into a lonely gorge in Venezuela’s rainforest.
  • The water from the Gauja River does not always reach the bottom. Because the fall is so long and steep, air pressure frequently exceeds water pressure. Before it reaches the little creek below, the water condenses into the mist.

Types of Waterfalls

  • Identifying the type is one of the most common, if least scientific, methods to categorize waterfalls. The way a waterfall drop determines its kind. 
  • The majority of waterfalls fall into more than one category. A block waterfall feeds a large stream. Niagara Falls is a large waterfall in the United States and Canada on the Niagara River. 
  • A cascade is a waterfall that falls down a set of rock stairs. 
  • Monkey Falls is a gently descending cascade in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in Tamil Nadu, India. The waterfall is sufficiently safe for youngsters to play in. A cataract is a large, potentially deadly waterfall.
  • The roaring waves of the Iguazu River on the border between Brazil and Argentina are among the most comprehensive and wildest cascades. A chute is a waterfall with a highly tiny stream tunnel that forces water through at abnormally high pressure. 
  • Three Chute Flows is called from the three “chutes” through which Tenaya Creek falls in California’s Yosemite National Park. 
  • Fan waterfalls get their name from their form. As it drops, water spreads out horizontally. Virgin Falls is a beautiful fan waterfall located on Tofino Creek on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. 
  • Frozen waterfalls are precise as they sound—the waterfall freezes for at least part of the year. 
  • Mountaineers frequently climb frozen waterfalls to put their skills to the test. The Fang is a solid pillar of ice that drops more than 30 meters vertically in Vail, Colorado (100 feet). 
  • Horsetail waterfalls stay in contact with the rough granite underneath them. 
  • Reichenbach Falls, a horsetail waterfall on the Reichenbach Stream in Switzerland, is said to be where famed investigator Sherlock Holmes met his death.
  • A multi-step waterfall is a linked sequence of waterfalls, each with its plunge pool. Plitvice Lakes National Park’s beautiful “falling lakes” are a sequence of multi-step waterfalls. 
  • Unlike horsetail falls, plunge waterfalls lose touch with the hard rock.
  • Hinoki Falls, Japan’s tallest waterfall, is a 497-meter-tall plunge cascade (1,640 feet). Snowmelt from the Tateyama Mountains feeds Hannoki Falls periodically. Large ponds at their foot distinguish punchbowl waterfalls. 
  • Wailua Falls is a punchbowl waterfall on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
  • Although the plunge pool is a peaceful and popular swimming spot, the region surrounding Wailua Falls is hazardous. Water flowing over segmented waterfalls separates into different streams. The streams of Nigretta Falls, a segmented waterfall in Victoria, Australia, are separated by massive outcroppings of hard rock before they merge into a vast plunge pool.

Waterfall Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Waterfalls across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Waterfalls, a section of a river or stream where water falls over a vertical or series of sharp drops.

waterfall worksheets
waterfall worksheets
waterfall worksheets

Download includes the following worksheets

  • Waterfall Facts
  • Find Me!
  • Think a word
  • Pic’a fall
  • What is Right
  • Flow of Water
  • Waterfall in the Making
  • Just Share it
  • Extraordinary Fall
  • Waterfall in Many Ways
  • Clean Up

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Link will appear as Waterfall Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 31, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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