Happy Friday!
I'm back after two weeks of traveling (with no breaks in the action), first to the Scottsdale Headache Symposium (which was great) followed by a, early flight home, a 5-hour turnaround, then back to the airport to go to Argentina with a group from Dallas. The trip focused on Buenos Aires with a visit to Iguazu to visit the National Park and the Falls. Amazing.
Iguazu Falls are located on the shared borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay and are considered one of the 7 modern wonders of the world since 2011 (if it seems like more than 7 places in the world claim this title, the distinction is related to different deciding bodies and categories; some of the original 7 are no longer standing). The name comes from the native Guarani language meaning "big water". They weren't kidding. The Iguazu Falls have the 6th-greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world but are one of the widest waterfalls in the world. Composed of 27 waterfalls, 80% of which are on the Argentine side, their layout looks like a reversed letter "J". The Argentine-Brazil border runs through a section called Devil's Throat chasm. The other large falls are San Martin, Adam and Eva, Penoni and Bergano. They can be reached from any of the three countries; we hiked in and viewed them from the Argentine side (Brazil requires a visa).
Iguazu falls are located in the Iguazu National Parks of both Argentina and Brazil. The National Parks were established in 1934 in Argentina (shortly after Yellowstone in the U.S.) and 1939 in Brazil, and were named a UNESCO World Heritage in 1984. The Argentina side is essentially in a jungle and rain forest, complete with toucans, coatis, monkeys, lizards, turtles and 400 species of birds, over 2000 species of flora and 80 species of mammals. We saw giant catfish as well. It is truly spectacular and Awe-some. We took the boat ride under the falls, got soaking wet, and it was so much fun!
Waterfalls are considered as points in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of sleep drop-offs. They can also occur over icebergs or ice shelves. They are usually formed by a river passing over a top layer of hard bedrock before falling onto softer rock that erodes faster, leading to an increasingly higher fall over time. The hydraulic forces of the falling water erode the bed. Sand and stone in the water increase the erosion, and whirlpools may form that spin the stones, drilling out the bed.
Waterfalls attract more explorers and visitors than any other geomorphic features. For example, the number of visitors to Iguazu Falls rivals that of Machu Pichu (which limits the number of visitors), between 1-1.5 million per year. In addition to their natural beauty, they can be calming and exciting at the same time. They also play a role in many cultures, religious sites and are subjects of art and music.
The tallest falls in the world (> 500 m) include Angel Falls in Venezuela, Three Sisters Falls in Peru, Tugela Fallas in Kwazulu-Natal, Mutarazi Falls in Zimbabwe, Kadamanian Falls in Malaysia, several falls in Norway (Kjelfossen, Kjerafossen, Mongefossen, Ramnefjelsfossen, Vinnnufossen), Olo'upena Falls in Moloka'i Hawaii and Browne Falls in New Zealand. Height isn't everything, though. Width, flow rate and type of falls also factor into their beauty and rankings. The falls with the highest flow rates are in the Congo, clocking in at over 25,000 m3/sec. Niagara comes in at 2407 m3/sec, Victoria at 1,088 m3/sec and Iguazu at 1,746 m3/sec.
I never thought of Texas as much of a waterfall state, but there are over 50 here. Like many things in Texas involving water (such as lakes), several are man-made. Granted, they don't compete in height or flow rate to the "big name" falls, but they are beautiful, nonetheless.
Seek one out for a visit and if you ever have the opportunity to take the boat ride below them, don't pass it up!
As we near the end of 2025, it's a busy but uplifting and hopeful time. Happy Chanukah to those who are celebrating it and only 5 more days to get your Christmas shopping done!
Deb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5LFWzDWMAc