Niagra Falls Trivia Quiz
What is Niagara Falls?
A: Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of
Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada
and the state of New York in the United States.
Which of the three is the largest?
A: Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the two
countries.
It is also known as what?
A: The Canadian Falls.
The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie
where?
A: Within the United States.
Bridal Veil Falls is separated from Horseshoe Falls by
what?
A: Goat Island and from American Falls by Luna Island, with both islands
situated in New York.
The falls are formed by the Niagara River, which drains
what?
A: Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.
The combined falls have the highest flow rate of any
waterfall where?
A: In North America.
What is its vertical drop?
A: More than 50 m (160 ft).
During peak daytime tourist hours, how much water goes
over the crest of the falls every minute?
A: More than 168,000 m3 (5.9 million cu ft).
Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North
America, as measured by what?
A: Flow rate.
Niagara Falls is famed for its what?
A: Its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power.
Niagara Falls is 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Buffalo,
New York, and 69 km (43 mi) southeast of Toronto, between what?
A: The twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
How was Niagara Falls formed?
A: When glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last
ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path over and
through the Niagara Escarpment on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
The larger Horseshoe Falls is how wide?
A: About 790 m (2,590 ft).
How wide, is the American Falls?
A: 320 m (1,050 ft).
The distance between the American extremity of Niagara
Falls and the Canadian extremity is what?
A: 1,039 m (3,409 ft).
During the summer months, at least 2,800 m3 (99,000 cu
ft) per second of water traverse the falls, some 90% of which goes over
Horseshoe Falls, while the balance is what?
A: Diverted to hydroelectric facilities and then on to American Falls and
Bridal Veil Falls.
The features that became Niagara Falls were created by
what?
A: The Wisconsin glaciation about 10,000 years ago.
The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount
of what?
A: Meltwater that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus
creating the Great Lakes as we know them today.
About 10,900 years ago, the Niagara Falls was between
present-day Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York, but erosion of the
crest caused the falls to retreat how far?
A: Approximately 6.8 miles (10.9 km) southward.
The shape of Horseshoe Falls has changed through the
process of erosion, evolving from a small arch to a horseshoe bend to what?
A: The present day V-shape.
What is the current rate of erosion?
A: Approximately 30 centimeters (1 ft) per year, down from a historical
average of 0.91 m (3 ft) per year.
At this rate, in about 50,000 years Niagara Falls will
have eroded how far?
A: The remaining 32 km (20 mi) to Lake Erie, and the falls will cease to
exist.