Definition of a Waterfall

There are many discussions about the definition of a waterfall.

 

Several criteria can be applicable:
· How permanent must a waterfall be?
· What is the minimum amount of water coming of a stream/river?
· How wide must it be?
· What is the minimum perpendicular descent of the water (in degrees)?
· What is the minimum height of water falling down to be called a waterfall?

Another issue is the height of a waterfall. There are hardly any accurate measurements. There are many lists of the heighest waterfalls in the world, but I am sure they are not accurate. I have seen waterfalls in Norway that are over 500 mtr but are not being listed. Most heights I attached to a waterfall are taken from travel pages or touristic pages on the Internet, but several results are displayed.

That brings us to the next criteria (questions):
· Where/what is the bottom/top off a waterfall?
· If a waterfall consist out of multiple stages when is it called one waterfall?

The beginning of a waterfall.
How does a waterfall come into existence?
· Rain
· Groundwater (indirectly rain/snow)
· Melting snow
· Melting ice (glacier)

There are no common "agreed" rules that decide what is a waterfall and how to determine the height. Just enjoy the beauty and the power of them. Enjoy the environment around it, the natural landscape and share them with people.