As people contemplate the various wonders of the world, people cannot help but marvel at the magic of nature.

While majestic mountains, dense forests, and vast deserts showcase nature's beauty statically and silently, water is the natural scenery that captures our attention with dynamic beauty. Water's most representative movements are the waterfall, which can be overwhelming like a sea with the momentum of deafening water jaws, or delicate and gentle like a trickle.

A waterfall is a water that flows down from a mountain wall or suddenly lands in a river bed, appearing like a hanging white cloth from a distance. In geology, it's called "plunging," which refers to river water falling vertically from a high altitude when flowing through areas such as faults and depressions. A waterfall is a temporary feature of a river's existence, eventually disappearing.

Several conditions contribute to the formation of waterfalls. One of the most common reasons for the existence of waterfalls is the difference in rock types.

As rivers cross many lithological boundaries, if a river flows from a hard rock bed to a softer rock bed, the softer rock bed is likely to erode more quickly, and the slope is steeper where the two rock types meet. This occurs when the river changes direction and exposes the interface between the different rocky beds.

Another scenario is when a large chunk of lava comes up from under the riverbed in ancient times, and the rock hardens, forming a "wall" in the river channel, blocking the water. This is how the Yellow River Hukou Falls in China was formed. The third case is when ancient glaciers cut into the valley, forming cliffs, and generating waterfalls on the cliffs.

Another relevant reason for the formation of waterfalls is the presence of many strips of hard rock on the riverbed. The Nile River has been a series of large waterfalls, and the Nile water has fully eroded the riverbed, resulting in the exposure of hard crystalline bedrock.

The properties of the rock formations are less from some waterfalls and more from the structure and shape of the land. Here is a description of some of the world's most famous waterfalls:

Niagara Falls:

Niagara Falls is the general name of three waterfalls located on the Niagara River in the Great Lakes region of North America, and along with Iguazu Falls and Victoria Falls, is known as the world's three major transnational waterfalls.

Niagara Falls is famous for its beautiful scenery, huge hydroelectric power generation capacity, and challenging environmental protection engineering. It is a very popular tourist attraction.

Victoria Falls:

Victoria Falls is located in the middle reaches of the Zambezi River in Africa, between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and is one of the three major waterfalls in the world. It is about 1.7 kilometers wide and 128 meters high. In 1989, UNESCO inscribed Victoria Falls and the two national parks on the World Heritage List. They are one of the most important tourist attractions in Southern Africa.

When water flows down the falls, it evaporates before hitting the ground and condenses again into the rain at the bottom, making it one of the rare wonders of the world. During the rainy season, the river becomes deeper due to the heavy rainfall, and people can enter by boat. During the rest of the year, the falls can only be viewed from the air.

Iguazu Falls:

Iguazu Falls is located on the border between Argentina and Brazil, with more than 70% of it within the Argentine border. Most people think that the world's largest waterfall is Niagara Falls in North America, but in fact, in terms of width, Iguazu Falls with a width of 2.7 kilometers, is the largest waterfall in the world.