waterfall

waterfall

waterfall a sudden unsupported drop in a stream. It is formed when the stream course is interrupted as when a stream passes over a layer of harder rock—often igneous—to an area of softer and therefore more easily eroded rock; the edge of a cliff or plateau; or the edge of a hanging valley formed under glacial conditions (see glacial periods ). Normally, as a stream grows older, the waterfall, by undercutting and erosion of the waterfall edge and stream bed above the fall, moves upstream and loses height until it eventually becomes a series of rapids and finally disappears. Waterfalls are often a source of waterpower for cities such as the string of cities in the United States that grew up along the waterfall line where streams from the Appalachians descend suddenly to the coastal plain and early textile and flour mills used power from waterfalls. Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world's highest waterfall.

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"waterfall." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"waterfall." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-waterfal.html

"waterfall." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-waterfal.html

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waterfall

wa·ter·fall / ˈwôtərˌfôl; ˈwä-/ • n. a cascade of water falling from a height, formed when a river or stream flows over a precipice or steep incline.

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"waterfall." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"waterfall." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-waterfall.html

"waterfall." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-waterfall.html

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waterfall

waterfall Point in the course of a river at which the water drops perpendicularly. The site of a waterfall usually indicates an outcrop of rock that is particularly resistant to erosion.

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"waterfall." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"waterfall." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-waterfall.html

"waterfall." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-waterfall.html

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Waterfall

Waterfall Staffs. Waterfal 1201. OE wæter-gefall ‘place where a stream disappears into the ground’.

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A. D. MILLS. "Waterfall." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

A. D. MILLS. "Waterfall." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Waterfall.html

A. D. MILLS. "Waterfall." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Waterfall.html

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waterfall

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"waterfall." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"waterfall." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-waterfall.html

"waterfall." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-waterfall.html

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waterfall. (Image by Mikano, GFDL)