|
The world’s largest waterfall lies beneath the
Denmark Strait, which separates Iceland and Greenland. At the bottom of
the strait are a series of cataracts that begin 2,000 feet under the strait’s
surface and plunge to a depth of 10,000 feet at the southern tip of Greenland
– nearly a two-mile drop.
The waterfall is formed by the temperature differential
between the water masses either side of the Denmark Strait, the eastern side
being much colder than the western. Due to the different densities in the
masses caused by this temperature difference, when the two masses meet along
the top of the ridge of the strait, the colder, denser water flows downwards
and underneath the warmer, lighter water, thus creating a downward flow of
water.
More than three times the height of Angel Falls in
Venezuela, normally considered Earth’s tallest waterfall. The amount of water
it carries is estimated at 175 million cubic feet per second. That’s
equivalent to almost two thousand Niagaras at their peak.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment