Niagara Falls Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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How far have the falls moved over time?   (Back to the list of questions).

The Falls are roughly 12,000 years old. Over that time is has moved and morphed from its beginnings as a single waterfall at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment near Lewiston/Queenston 7 miles downstream to its current location The birthplace of the Falls can be seen from Queenston Heights Park, ON or the Earl Brydges Artpark State Park in NY. At the time the Falls was an estimated 40 feet (12 meters) tall and the flow was roughly a quarter of what it is today.

With glaciers still receding after the last ice age and the Great Lakes forming, the water flow through the Niagara was inconsistent for ages. 11,000  years ago, the northern Great Lakes' water flow bypassed the southern Niagara route and its erosion, and thus recession, slowed drastically. It wasn't until roughly 5,500 years ago that the flow returned and erosion sped up again.

Around 4,200 years ago, the Falls reached a dramatic point in its journey. It uncovered massive a pre-glacial gorge−an ancient river valley gouged 300 feet into the bedrock. Glacial activity buried this gorge with silt, sand, and stone −loosely packed by geological standards. When the Falls hit the junction where the Niagara River crossed Saint David's Buried Gorge it began tearing through the loosely packed fill at an alarming rate. At this time the Falls probably wasn't a waterfall at all, but rather a muddy mess of rapids as it excavated the filled gorge. The 90 degree turn at the present-day Whirlpool marks where the Falls met the ancient gorge, turned and began tearing it apart.

Within a few hundred years the Falls carved out the Whirlpool Rapids. Its fast recession leaving the gorge narrow and perfect for turbulence. As the falls turned south once again it slowed, creating a wider gorge and deeper pools.

When the first Europeans came to America, Niagara  was still a single waterfall. It wasn't until 600 or so years ago that the recession reached Goat Island, which split the crest line into the American and Horseshoe Falls. Even as the tourism industry started ramping up in the early 1800s, the Falls were receding at a noticeable rate- about 2 feet a year. The diagram to the left shows how the Horseshoe Falls have receded since 1678.

Today, with most of the water flow diverted for generating electricity, erosion has slowed to barely measureable rates. It is estimated that the Falls recede a few inches every 10 years. Important features, like prominent rocks along the crest of the American Falls have been bolted in place, and probably won't be dislodged by natural means for a long while.  Goat Island is safe for a long time while as well. Under natural conditions it could be eroded away (and the Falls would merge) in roughly 2,500 years. If nature were to take its course, the falls would eventually make it to Lake Erie and disappear, creating a a steep gorge of varying widths along the way.

With a recession of just over 7 miles in 12,000 year, Niagara Falls is easily one of the fastest receding waterfalls in the World.

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Why isn't the "Cave of the Winds" an actual cave?  (Back to the list of questions).

One of the more popular attractions on the American side, the Cave of the Winds brings you close enough to the Bridal Veil Falls to get totally soaked by it. Visitors who don the yellow souvenir poncho and ride the elevator 175 feet into the Niagara gorge for their fist time are often surprised that there is no cave at all.

There used to be a cave. It was actually about 100 feet of strong overhanging dolomite bedrock at the crest of Bridal Veil Falls that projected the water out leaving a "cavern" with one side rock and another water. Although the cave was visible from atop the gorge, it wasn't until the Biddle staircase was built in 1829 that people had a chance to enter it.  It was originally dubbed Aeolus' Cave, after the Greek god of winds, but the name didn't stick and it was commonly referred to as the "Cave of the Winds."

Measuring 130 feet (40 meters) high, 100 feet (30 meters) wide and 30 feet (9 meters) in depth it quickly became one of the most popular attractions at the Falls after guided tours began in 1841. Its popularity continued through the early 1900's when a walkway leading to the cavern was constructed. On September 6, 1920, tragedy struck when a portion of the  cave collapsed during a tour, killing 3 and injuring several others. Despite this misfortune, the attraction continued to thrive and in 1925, elevators were installed in order to get more people to the cave faster.

Visitors continued to enjoy the Cave of the Winds until another rock collapse occurred at Prospect Point (on the other side of the American Falls) in 1954 raised doubts about the integrity of that rock in the gorge. Engineers determined that the huge slab of dolomite that served as the ceiling for the cave, was in danger of succumbing to erosion and collapsing. In 1957, tours behind the Bridal Veil Falls came to an end when the Cave of the Winds was demolished with controlled dynamite blasts.

Today the tour continues, but stops short of going behind the Falls. The trademark red wood "Hurricane Deck" is built out onto the boulders to the south of the Bridal Veil Falls every spring. Each year the deck is reconstructed to allow visitors to get as close as safely possible to the spay in front of the Falls (roughly 20 feet or 6 meters). The deck is isn't anchored with bolts to a foundation, rather builders wedge planks into the talus below the falls to give the deck its support. The deck is dismantled in early November.

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Why do they call it Luna Island?  (Back to the list of questions).

Luna Island, sits on the southern end of the American Falls and is separated from Goat Island by the Bridal Veil Falls. It is approximately 130 feet (40 meters) wide (between the two falls) and 350 feet (107 meters) long.  It was at one time called "Young America" by the Porter Family that once owned the land surrounding the American Falls. Since then it had been incorporated into a park, re-vegetated, and in the 1970s reinforced with steel bolts.

Although it is not known who dubbed it Luna Island and when, we do have a good idea as to why. It is said that Luna Island is the perfect spot to catch a lunar rainbow (or moonbow), a rainbow produced by the light reflected off of the moon. It this true? Reports around the web have confirmed it. But there's only one way to make sure. Go there on a full moon and check it out. Here's a moon phase calendar to help you. NYFalls.com is willing to pay $25.00 for a decent photograph of a lunar rainbow as seen from Luna Island.

	Luna Island

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