Underwater Waterfalls Do Exist
Almost everyone is aware of the fact that there are numerous waterfalls around the world. In fact, many people have actually seen a waterfall in person. A massive waterfall, Niagara Falls, has six million cubic feet of water and is one of the most powerful waterfalls ever. However, it’s not the world’s biggest waterfall. In fact, the world’s biggest waterfall isn’t noisy or even something that you could easily see. Located in the Denmark Strait, the Denmark Strait Cataract, is a waterfall that is located miles below the North Atlantic Ocean.
It’s Power
The water for these falls drops an impressive 11,500 feet. This means that it’s three times that of Angel Falls, which is the world’s tallest waterfall. Per second it carries 175 million cubic feet of water. To put it in perspective, at Niagara’s peak flow, this is about two thousand times that.
What Causes This To Occur
This underwater waterfall is caused by the differing water temperatures in the Denmark Strait. The western side of the strait is much warmer than the eastern one. When the cold side and the warm side meet, the water creates a downward flow, known as a waterfall. There are some other places in the world where this does occur. However, none of them are nearly the size of the Denmark Strait Cataract.
Other Amazing Waterfalls Around The World
While you can’t really see the Denmark Strait Cataract in person as it’s so far under the ocean, there are some other amazing waterfalls that you can see. They include:
Gaping Gill. While this waterfall isn’t underwater, it is underground. It’s 253 feet tall and is open to tourists so it’s easily accessible.
Tugela Falls. At around 3,110 feet tall, this is the second tallest waterfall in the world.
Inga Falls. This impressive waterfall has a flow rate of 910,000 cubic feet per second and a drop of 315 feet that goes over a course of roughly 9 miles.
Victoria Falls.These falls are 354 feet high and measure 5,604 feet across. The best way to see these immense falls is through a helicopter tour.
Khone Falls. This is the world’s widest waterfalls at a whopping 35,376 feet wide. It’s almost twice the size of the second widest waterfall in the world, Para Falls, which measures only 18,400 feet wide. Every second around 410,000 cubic feet of water rush down it.
