| Attractions |
|
|
 |
| |
| Niagara has much to offer its guests! |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
| Niagara
Tours |
Before you spend hours of precious vacation time just driving around, consider
a Tour with one of Niagara's better tour companies. They'll show you numerous
wonderful places in Niagara Falls that you will talk about for years to come.
more
|
|
|
| The
Niagara River "A National Wonder" |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A simplified cross-sectional view of the Horseshoe Falls (see
Hydro Generating) reveals a hard top layer of dolomite limestone with softer
layers of sandstone and shale below. 
The tumbling waters cut away the shale and sandstone layers until the dolomite
top layer collapses, thus maintaining the vertical face of the Falls.
About 12,000 years ago, Niagara Falls was 11 kilometres (7 miles) downstream
from its present position. Until the early 1950s, the Falls eroded at the average
rate of one metre (3 feet) per year.
Since then, major water diversions have spread out the flow more evenly, slowing
the rate of erosion at the Falls. These include the Sir Adam Beck #2 Generating
Station (1954) on the Canadian side of the border, the Robert Moses Niagara Power
Plant (1961) on the American side of the Niagara River, and the International
Control Works (1954-1963).
It is suggested that now the rate of erosion could be as low as 30 centimetres
(one foot) every ten years.
|
| A
Collection of Facts and Figures About Niagara |
The word "Onguiaahra" appears on maps as early as 1641. Both it
and the later version "Ongiara" are Indian words generally interpreted as meaning
"The Straight", although the romantic "Thunder of Waters" is sometimes given.
By the time the first white man arrived at the Falls, the name in general use
was "Niagara"
|
| The
Niagara River |
The
Falls |
|
- The Niagara River is about 56 kilometres (35 miles) long and is the natural
outlet from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It is one of the world's greatest sources
of hydroelectric power.
- The elevation between the two lakes is about 99 metres (326), with the half-way
point occurring at the Falls.
- The total area drained by the Niagara River is approximately 684,000 square
kilometres (264,000 square miles).
- The average fall from Lake Erie to the beginning of the Upper Niagara Rapids
is only 2.7 metres (9 feet)
|
- The Canadian Horseshoe Falls, for the most part, fall 52 metres (170 feet)
into the Maid of the Mist Pool.
- At the American Falls, the water plunges vertically, ranging from 21 to 34
metres (70 to 110 feet), to the rock at the base of the Falls.
- The Niagara Gorge extends from the Falls for 11 kilometres (7 miles) downstream
to the foot of the escarpment at Queenston.
- More than 168,000 cubic metres (6 million cubic feet) of water go over the
crestline of the Falls every minute during peak daytime tourist hours. It is difficult
to determine the depth of the water at the crestline due to various flows and
conditions of the river.
|
| Combined
Volume of Flow |
 April
to September 15
8:00 am to 10:00 pm
September 16 to October 31
8:00 am to 8:00 pm
2832 cubic metres/sec
All other dates and times
1416 cubic metres/sec
The remainder of river flow is removed upstream form the Falls and shared equally
for hydro-electric generation by Canada and the United States. The total generating
capacity at Niagara is about 4.4 million kilowatts (5 million horsepower). |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
