The process of erosion, the wearing away of earth, plays an important part in the formation of waterfalls. When a river or stream flows over hard rock (where erosion is slow) and also flows over soft rock (where erosion is more rapid), the soft rock is eroded by the water ultimately making the watercourse steeper beyond the hard rock layer. This steepening effect also accelerates erosion as the influence of gravity on the water increases the water’s speed. Eventually, the watercourse steepens until it’s either nearly vertical or completely vertical resulting in the formation of a waterfall.
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