Waterwheel Falls
Encyclopedia
Waterwheel Falls is a waterfall
in the Sierra Nevada of California
, located at 37°55′36"N 119°27′31"W in Yosemite National Park
. It is the largest of the many waterfalls of the Tuolumne River
. Its upper part contains a series of small ledges, each of which creates a small plume as the water is deflected away from the rock face. An extraordinary phenomenon appears at the first and largest of these ledges during the high-water season of early summer. Strong gusts of wind can lift part of the spray and blow it back upward, causing it to reenter the falls above the ledge. This cyclic "waterwheel" gives the falls their name.
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in the Sierra Nevada of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, located at 37°55′36"N 119°27′31"W in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
. It is the largest of the many waterfalls of the Tuolumne River
Tuolumne River
The Tuolumne River is a California river that flows nearly from the central Sierra Nevada to the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley...
. Its upper part contains a series of small ledges, each of which creates a small plume as the water is deflected away from the rock face. An extraordinary phenomenon appears at the first and largest of these ledges during the high-water season of early summer. Strong gusts of wind can lift part of the spray and blow it back upward, causing it to reenter the falls above the ledge. This cyclic "waterwheel" gives the falls their name.