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Do Niagra falls flow non-stop?
How is that possible?
6 Answers
- 9 years agoFavourite answer
Niagara Falls does flow non-stop, however, flow varies by the time of day and year. The ultimate source of the Niagara River is the North River in Minnesota, which eventually flows into Lake Superior, then the Saint Marys River, then Lake Michigan-Huron. Water from there can either flow out the Chicago River, which now drains into the Mississippi and ultimately out the the Gulf of Mexico or down the St. Clair River towards Lake St. Clair, then the Detroit River and Lake Erie, which is the headwater for the Niagara River. As for flow, there is an international dam upstream of the Falls which diverts water into the reservoirs of the Robert Moses Power Station and the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Stations. However, a treaty between Canada and the US has stated that there must be a certain amount of water going over the falls to maintain their scenic beauty. Normally, maximum diversion only occurs during winter and on one occasion after the 2003 Northeast Blackout. You might be asking "Wouldn't the water downstream of the falls "pile up" and stop the flow?", the answer is no, the water then flows onwards from the falls to Lake Ontario, then out the St. Lawrence River at the Thousand Islands near Kingston, Ontario. From there the water remains fresh until Quebec City, where tidal influences from the Atlantic Ocean start to affect the river, however, it is still considered to be a freshwater river as far east as the Northeastern tip of the Ile d'Orleans. East of there, the water mixes with saltwater from the Atlantic and it ultimately flows into the Atlantic somewhere near Tadoussac, Quebec and Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec.
However, on rare occasions, the most memorable during 1969, the falls have actually stopped flowing. The 1969 incident dammed off only the American side of the river, with the Horseshoe Falls absorbing all the water of the river. Winter storms that are intense enough can slow the flow or stop the flow of the river altogether although this has happened only a few times.
- CharlieLv 79 years ago
The source of Niagara Falls is the Niagara river. The river is full and never stops flowing...therefore the water goes over the Falls non-stop. The Niagara river flows between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls is not man-made or artificial. it is fed by the Niagara river which flows downhill from one of the Great lakes to the next Great Lake over a huge cliff.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagra_Falls http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/ni... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes - SteveNLv 79 years ago
Did you never learn the hydrological cycle in school?
The sun heats any body of water it finds (ocean, river, lake) and causes evaporation. The evaporated water forms clouds in the sky. As the clouds get more dense with evaporated water and cool down, the mist forms back into droplets and it rains. Rain falls on the mountains and land, and gravity gradually allows that rain to flow into streams, then into lakes, then rivers, and all the way back out to the ocean. And then the cycle starts all over again.
Niagara Falls flows non-stop because the water from the five Great Lakes keeps feeding the river. The Great Lakes get their water from various other streams and rivers that flow into them.
Source(s): http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/flood-cycle.jpg - C.M. CLv 79 years ago
Secret Agent Man, it;s similar to your Murry River, it;s a continual flow from a non ending source.
- 9 years ago
It gets its source of water from a much larger body. This body gets replenished over time, and thus the Falls are able to continually flow.
- 9 years ago
It's obviously connected to a lake or the ocean. So you could technically say it's never ending, but really the FLOW is never ending, then it exits and just comes back again.