The American Falls is the second-largest of the three

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

s that together are known as

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

on the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York in the United States (on the east). There are diffe ...

along the Canada–U.S. border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, of which approximately 90% is in

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and 10% in the U.S. state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

,Facts about Niagara Falls
/ref> the American Falls is entirely within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Characteristics

The falls receive approximately 11% of the flow from Niagara River, with most of the rest going over Horseshoe Falls, from which it is separated by

Goat Island Goat Island (or Goat Islands) may refer to: Arts * Goat Island (performance group), a Chicago-based company * ''Goat Island'' (play), ''Delitto all'isola delle capre'', by Ugo Betti Places Australia * Goat Island (Port Jackson) in Sydney Harbou ...

. It has a straight line crest width of about . If measured along the jagged lip of the falls, the crest is about long (but see coastline paradox). The torrent of water passing over the crest of the falls is about deep. The height of the American Falls ranges between . This measurement is taken from the top of the Falls to top of the rock pile ( talus). The height of the Falls from the top of the Falls to the river is . Visitors can view the falls from a steep angle on the American side, where it is possible to approach to within several meters of the edge of the falls. One can view the falls from the bank of the river, as well as on

and

Luna Island Luna Island is a very small uninhabited island in the Niagara River, in the U.S. state of New York. Location and features Luna Island is in Niagara Falls, New York between Goat Island and Niagara Falls State Park. It is between the American Fa ...

, which are accessible by a pedestrian bridge that crosses the

rapid Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade'' ...

s of the Niagara River upstream from the falls. The falls are viewable head-on from the Canadian side in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census. It is part of the List of census ...

. The ledge of the American Falls is shaped in a modified "W" form, caused by numerous rock falls over the past 150 years which have resulted in the huge mound of rock at its base. The most notable recent rockfall occurred in 1954 with the collapse of Prospect Point to the north. dryniagara

To survey the rockfall and determine how to prevent the falls from becoming a series of

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade' ...

, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blocked the flow of water over the American Falls from June to November 1969. Results conflict as to whether tourist attendance that season was higher or lower than normal. Attendance increases were likely due to the news the cataract was dried off; decreases in tourists could be attributed to people believing both cataracts (the American and Horseshoe Falls) were dewatered. By December 1969, water was flowing over the American Falls again. In the mid‑1970s, it was decided not to make alterations to the rockwall, citing the trend to allow nature to take its course. File:Ice mountain at American Falls (1891).jpg, Tourists on the ice at the base of the American Falls, 1891 File:American falls rainbow.jpg, American Falls File:15 23 1024 niagara.jpg, American Falls at night File:American Falls - panoramio (4).jpg, Looking up the

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the edge ...

across the American Falls

References

External links

{{Commons category, American Falls
Images from the Historic Niagara Digital CollectionsArt works in the collection of the Niagara Falls Public Library
Niagara Falls Waterfalls of New York (state) Protected areas of Niagara County, New York Tourist attractions in Niagara County, New York Block waterfalls Niagara Falls State Park Landforms of Niagara County, New York