Niagara Falls-USA

Niagara Falls were created by the recession and melting of a mammoth ice sheet. As the ice retreated some 50,000 years ago the land rose behind it, forming such ridges as the Niagara Escarpment. The melting ice formed a vast lake in what is now the lake Erie, the lake overflowed about 12,000 yeas ago, creating Niagara Falls.
 
The falls originally formed 7 miles north in what is now Lewiston. Due to erosion, they are currently about midway between lakes Erie and Ontario on the Niagara River, a 37-mile-long strait that is bisected by the international boundary. The cities of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Niagara Fall Ontario, are connected by bridges across the river.
 
Over the last century the American Falls has undergone a dramatic face lift due to natural forces of erosion. The natural bedrock is composed of soft shale and limestone. Over the years the continual flow of water causes large sections of bedrock to fall and remain at the base of the cataracts. Geologists predict that eventually the American Falls will transform into a succession of descending rapids. The diversion of water above the falls has slowed the forces of erosion. It is estimated that 75,000 gallons of water flow over the American Falls each second, amounting to only 10% of Niagara's total water flow.

No one has ever dared to conquer the American Falls in a barrel. All daredevil activities have always concentrated on the Canadian Horseshoe Falls because it has a larger water flow and fewer rocks at its basin.

In 1895, the world’s first commercial hydroelectric plant was built at the falls. The Niagara Power Project opened in 1961 with 13 generators and a total installed power of 2,190,000 kilowatts, one of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world. We visited the Niagara Power Plant and Niagara Falls on September 8-9, 2001.
 

In the picture on the left: Dritan (Albania), Nuntaga (Thailand), Sayra (China), Sibisi (South Africa), Tuti (Indonesia), Jane (Uganda),  Me, Athith (Laos), Berhane (Eritrea). In the picture on the right: some tourists delighted with the spectacular vista of natural wonder of beauty and majesty; in the background one bridge connecting the US and Canada.