Sunday Reading - What are the Niagara Falls?

 

What are the Niagara Falls? Niagara Falls are a group of three massive waterfalls located on the border between Ontario, Canada, and New York (see diagram). Around 8.64  billion cubic feet of water flow through the falls each day during peak tourist seasons—enough to fill over 98,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Formed at the end of the last ice age, the falls are part of the Niagara River, which connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Over the past 12,300 years, Niagara Falls has moved approximately 7.1 miles from its original location—and continues to retreat at a rate of about 1 foot per year.  Niagara Falls was the birthplace of modern electrical distribution. In the late 19th century, its immense water flow made it an ideal site for large-scale hydroelectric development. In 1895, it became host to the world’s first large-scale hydroelectric plant to use alternating current, or AC, a system developed by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. The falls were preserved in 1883 as America’s first state park and also hold historical significance as a crossing point on the Underground Railroad. ... Read our full deep dive on the falls here. Also, check out ...  > Engineers shut off Niagara's American Falls for six months in 1969. (More) > Niagara's frozen river once hosted winter carnivals. (More) > The pet turtle that survived a barrel plunge over the falls in 1930. (More) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------