Asked by yo

How do waterfalls form?

A meander gets cut off.
Sediment builds up.
Soft rock erodes.
Flat areas flood.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Soft rock erodes.

Most waterfalls form where a layer of hard rock overlies softer rock. The softer rock erodes faster, undercutting the hard cap; the cap then collapses and the drop retreats upstream, forming a vertical fall and plunge pool. Other causes that can produce waterfalls include tectonic uplift, glacial carving (hanging valleys), and faults, but the common local mechanism is differential erosion of soft rock beneath harder rock.