8.4 What causes Waterfalls?

What is the highest waterfall in the world?

• Angel Falls

• Niagara Falls

• High Force

• Victoria Falls

What is a plunge pool?

• A pool formed at the bottom of a waterfall

• A pool formed by a river meander

• A pool formed by a glacier

• A pool formed by a volcanic eruption

What causes the formation of a gorge behind a waterfall?

• Erosion of soft rock by the river

• Deposition of sediments

• Volcanic activity

• Earthquakes

What happens to the hard rock at the top of a waterfall over time?

• It erodes and forms a plunge pool

• It collapses into the plunge pool

• It remains unchanged

• It moves upstream

Drag the labels to the correct place on to the simplified waterfall diagram.

a

b

c

d

Undercutting

Soft rock

Hard rock

Plunge pool