The Rhine Falls, Switzerland | The largest plain waterfall in Europe
The Rhine Falls (Rheinfall in German) is the largest plain waterfall in Europe, The
falls are located on the High Rhine between the town council of
Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of
Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of
Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m
(75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m³/s,
while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 m³/s. The highest
flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s in
1921.
Image credit d.traveller
The Rhine Falls
were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years
ago, by erosion- resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first
glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years
ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years
ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau. This
earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel. About 132,000 years ago
the course of the river changed southwards at Schaffhausen and formed a
new channel, which also filled up with gravel. Part of the Rhine today
includes this ancient riverbed. During the Würm glaciation, the Rhine
was pushed far to the south to its present course, over a hard Late
Jurassic limestone bed. As the river flowed over both the hard limestone
and the easily-eroded gravel from previous glaciations, the current
waterfall formed about 14,000 to 17,000 years ago. The Rheinfallfelsen, a
large rock, is the remnant of the original limestone cliff flanking the
former channel. The rock has eroded very little over the years because
relatively little sediment comes down the Rhine from Lake Constance.
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Image credit Marc Burba
Image credit goerdie_l. on the slow photo road
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Image credit Anita
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Image credit d.traveller
Image credit d.traveller
Image credit Peter Bolliger
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