Reference Edition
Field Reference for Natural Places Geography Atlas
Waterfall Hub

Waterfalls, cataracts, and river-edge drops.

The waterfalls hub organizes major vertical river features by channel drop, bedrock edge, gorge setting, plunge-pool process, spray zone, and upstream basin connection.

Diagram of a river crossing a cliff edge into a waterfall, gorge, and plunge pool.
Lead Records

Falls and gorge references

Waterfall records should connect spectacle to physical process: water supply, resistant rock, retreating edges, gorge incision, and downstream river form.

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Western Thailand Limestone Falls

Thi Lo Su Waterfall

A Tak Province waterfall record with a broad multi-tier descent, limestone cliff controls, perennial Huai Klotho flow, monsoon runoff, and western Thailand upland drainage.

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Icelandic Cliff Waterfall

Seljalandsfoss

A south Iceland waterfall record with a roughly 60-metre plunge, a recessed volcanic cliff, maritime upland runoff, and a coastal-plain setting.

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South Iceland Escarpment Falls

Skogafoss

A Skoga River waterfall record with a broad 60-metre plunge, layered volcanic rock, former sea-cliff relief, maritime runoff, and a southern coastal-plain setting.

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Columbia Gorge Waterfall

Multnomah Falls

An Oregon waterfall record with a 620-foot two-tier descent, layered basalt cliffs, hanging-valley relief, rain-and-snow-fed flow, and Columbia River drainage.

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Norwegian Hanging-Valley Falls

Mardalsfossen

A western Norway waterfall record with a 705-metre descent, glacial valley relief, regulated mountain runoff, and drainage through Eikesdalsvatnet toward Eresfjorden.

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Lao Limestone Cascades

Kuang Si Falls

A northern Laos waterfall record with a roughly 60-metre main drop, carbonate-rimmed pools, monsoon-fed flow, and Mekong basin context.

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High Atlas Limestone Falls

Ouzoud Falls

A Moroccan waterfall record with a roughly 110-metre, three-tier descent, Jurassic limestone, seasonal mountain runoff, and Oum Er-Rbia basin context.

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Guizhou Karst Cataract

Huangguoshu Waterfall

A Baishui River waterfall record with a broad 77.8-metre drop, plateau karst, monsoon discharge, gorge retreat, and Pearl River basin drainage.

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Arnhem Land Escarpment Falls

Jim Jim Falls

A Kakadu waterfall record with a roughly 200-metre sandstone escarpment drop, monsoonal Jim Jim Creek flow, a plunge pool, and South Alligator River drainage.

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Hawaiian Volcanic Gorge

Akaka Falls

A Hawaiʻi Island waterfall record with rainfall-fed flow, a tall single plunge, volcanic gorge relief, and a short Pacific-draining stream.

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Spring-Fed Basalt Waterfall

Burney Falls

A northeastern California waterfall record with volcanic-aquifer springs, a basalt caprock, gorge retreat, and drainage toward the Pit River.

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Travertine Canyon Waterfall

Havasu Falls

A northern Arizona waterfall record with spring-fed flow, an actively changing travertine ledge, deep canyon relief, flash floods, and Colorado River drainage.

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Fiordland Lake-Outlet Cascade

Browne Falls

A Lake Browne outlet record with a long broken cascade, glacial fiord relief, heavy orographic rainfall, and direct drainage to Doubtful Sound/Patea.

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Orange River Gorge

Augrabies Falls

An Orange River waterfall record with a 56-metre drop, ancient gneiss, fault-guided erosion, flood pulses, and semi-arid gorge terrain.

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Angolan Plateau Waterfall

Kalandula Falls

A Lucala River waterfall record with a broad curved crest, a roughly 105-metre drop, seasonal discharge, confined valley relief, and Kwanza basin drainage.

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Andean Escarpment Waterfall

Gocta Falls

A northern Peruvian Andes waterfall record with two major drops, calcareous mountain relief, seasonal rainfall, and Utcubamba basin drainage.

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Waterfall Complex

Iguazu Falls

A broad cataract system on the Iguazu River linked to basalt edges, gorge retreat, forest margins, and the Parana basin.

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Plateau Edge Falls

Victoria Falls

A Zambezi River waterfall record shaped by basalt fractures, spray zones, gorge incision, and southern African plateau flow.

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Cataract System

Niagara Falls

A Great Lakes waterfall record with escarpment retreat, plunge pools, gorge formation, and Niagara River drainage.

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High Rhine Cataract

Rhine Falls

A Swiss High Rhine waterfall record with limestone bedrock, glacially shifted channels, seasonal discharge, and plunge-zone erosion.

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Tall Waterfall

Angel Falls

A tepui-edge waterfall record linking high sandstone tablelands, vertical relief, spray dispersal, and the Orinoco basin.

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Rainforest Waterfall

Kaieteur Falls

A Guiana Shield waterfall record with sandstone cliffs, single-drop flow, plunge-pool erosion, and rainforest spray zones.

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Ethiopian Plateau Waterfall

Blue Nile Falls

An upper Abay River waterfall record with Lake Tana outflow, volcanic rock, seasonal discharge, gorge incision, and Nile basin links.

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Escarpment Waterfall

Tugela Falls

A Drakensberg waterfall record shaped by escarpment cliffs, seasonal highland runoff, plunge zones, and southern African terrain.

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Granite Cliff Waterfall

Yosemite Falls

A Sierra Nevada waterfall record with granite cliffs, glacial valley form, seasonal snowmelt, plunge pools, and talus slopes.

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Basalt Canyon Waterfall

Dettifoss

An Icelandic waterfall record with glacial river discharge, basalt canyon walls, plunge-pool erosion, and volcanic terrain.

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Icelandic Canyon Waterfall

Gullfoss

A stepped waterfall record with glacial runoff, basalt canyon incision, spray zones, and Icelandic highland drainage.

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Fiordland Waterfall

Sutherland Falls

A glacial landscape waterfall record with hanging-valley relief, lake outflow, multi-stage drops, and forested slopes.

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Monsoon Escarpment Falls

Jog Falls

A Western Ghats waterfall record with monsoon discharge, segmented drops, plunge pools, and Sharavathi River flow.

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Karst Lake Cascades

Plitvice Waterfalls

A Croatian karst waterfall record with tufa barriers, terraced lakes, limestone canyon relief, dolomite basins, and Korana drainage.

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Snake River Canyon

Shoshone Falls

A basalt plateau waterfall record with Snake River canyon incision, plunge pools, seasonal flow, and dryland terrain.

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Monsoon Gorge Falls

Dudhsagar Falls

A Western Ghats waterfall record with monsoon flow, steep escarpment relief, forested gorge slopes, and seasonal runoff.

Related Hub

Rivers

Waterfalls belong inside river systems, where gradient breaks and bedrock edges interrupt downstream flow.

Thumbnail image credits 33 sources

Images are stored locally from Wikimedia Commons. Each centre-cropped thumbnail remains under its listed licence, with creator and source details below.

  1. Thi Lo Su Waterfall — Yxejamir, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  2. Seljalandsfoss — Robert Lukeman robertlukeman, CC0. Centre-cropped for display.
  3. Skogafoss — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  4. Multnomah Falls — John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  5. Mardalsfossen — Peter John Acklam, Public domain. Centre-cropped for display.
  6. Kuang Si Falls — NruasPaoYPP, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  7. Ouzoud Falls — Tomkeene at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Centre-cropped for display.
  8. Huangguoshu Waterfall — WaitinZ, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  9. Jim Jim Falls — Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  10. Akaka Falls — Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  11. Burney Falls — Saxena ashes, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  12. Havasu Falls — Gonzo fan2007, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  13. Browne Falls — Ybaykova, CC0. Centre-cropped for display.
  14. Augrabies Falls — Zaian (talk)., Public domain. Centre-cropped for display.
  15. Kalandula Falls — Paulo César Santos, CC0. Centre-cropped for display.
  16. Gocta Falls — Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  17. Iguazu Falls — Enaldo Valadares, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  18. Victoria Falls — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  19. Niagara Falls — Saffron Blaze, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  20. Rhine Falls — Kabelleger / David Gubler, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  21. Angel Falls — Rich Childs, CC BY 2.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  22. Kaieteur Falls — Sorenriise at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  23. Blue Nile Falls — CT Snow from Hsinchu, Taiwan, CC BY 2.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  24. Tugela Falls — Juniper339, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  25. Yosemite Falls — chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  26. Dettifoss — Tbc, Public domain. Centre-cropped for display.
  27. Gullfoss — Nickspix, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  28. Sutherland Falls — Javier Sánchez Portero, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  29. Jog Falls — Nikhilb239, CC BY 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  30. Ban Gioc-Detian Falls — Lê Minh Phát, CC BY 2.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  31. Plitvice Waterfalls — Someone35, CC BY-SA 3.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  32. Shoshone Falls — Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.
  33. Dudhsagar Falls — Hsp wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Centre-cropped for display.