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Waterfalls & People |
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If it sounds like waterfalls are loved only for their scenic beauty or by lovers and daredevils, guess again. Waterfalls have long been used as a source of energy. In fact, American history was shaped by a series of waterfalls and rapids located along the "Fall Line", located between the Appalachians and the Atlantic Coast. Fall lines aren't uncommon in such environments, where softer coastal rocks erode faster than harder upland rocks. Rivers flowing across harder upland rocks flow faster, sometimes forming waterfalls, when they reach the "line" where softer rocks have been lowered by erosion. In colonial times, flume- and water-wheel-powered industries sprang up along the fall line. A string of commercial and industrial cities followed them in 19th century, just as a string of port cities had earlier sprung up along the coast. These fall line cities include Lowell, Massachusetts; Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Troy, New York; Trenton, New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Georgetown (now part of Washington, D.C.); Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia. The Mississippi Valley also features a fall line, marked by such cities as Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. In fact, the Falls of St. Anthony is shown on Minnesota's state seal. It has been called "the waterfall that built Minneapolis" because of its role in the development of lumbering, flour milling, and hydroelectric power in Minnesota's largest city. Waterfalls are a natural source of power. Sometimes hydroelectric power stations are built by massive waterfalls. The water is forced to fall down long pipes to the power station below. The force of the water spins wheels that turn the turbines or engines. These turbines generate electricity known as hydroelectric power. A hydroelectric power station has been built by the Niagara Falls to make electricity for the surrounding area. Every year, thousands of people visit waterfalls. The most famous waterfalls are the Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River in Africa, the Iguassu Falls on the Parana River in South America and the Niagara Falls on the border of Canada and the USA. The Niagara Falls are the easiest waterfalls for people to reach. People visit waterfalls to stand and stare at the spectacular sight of an endless amount of water crashing down. www.geobop.com
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