The Majesty of Waterfalls

By Denise Anderson and Emily Ware

What better way is there than to spend a day listening to the serene sound of a flowing waterfall? But have you ever thought about how waterfalls are formed? The creation and life of a waterfall is a lengthy process.

A waterfall is formed at a knickpoint, which is an area where the landscape steepens abruptly causing the water to fall vertically...hence the name waterfall.

Waterfalls are short-lived (that is, in geologic time) features of the flow of the river. The energy due to the running water leads to abrasion and erosion. This erosive factor causes the waterfall to become less steep until it eventually evens out with the natural flow of the river. Of course, it takes many of our lifetimes before a waterfall becomes extinct.

Waterfalls are a natural feature found in Hawaii. A few of the major waterfalls are: Rainbow Falls, PeePee (pronounced pay-ay-pay-ay) Falls, Akaka Falls, and Kahuna Falls.

Rainbow Falls

Pe'ePe'e Falls

Akaka Falls

Kahuna Falls