Swiftcurrent Falls (British Columbia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Swiftcurrent Falls |
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| Location | Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°07′41″N 119°19′11″W / 53.12806°N 119.31972°W |
| Type | Cascade |
| Total height | 537 metres (1,762 ft) |
| Watercourse | Swiftcurrent Creek |
| World height ranking | 100th |
For the waterfall in Montana with the same name, see Swiftcurrent Falls (Montana).
Swiftcurrent Falls is a tall waterfall found in Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It's located on Swiftcurrent Creek, close to where the creek begins. This waterfall is one of the highest in Canada, even though its exact height hasn't been officially measured.
How Tall is Swiftcurrent Falls?
Swiftcurrent Falls is thought to be about 537 m (1,762 ft) high. That's like stacking over 1,700 feet of school buses on top of each other! The water comes from two small lakes. These lakes are fed by the melting ice of the Swiftcurrent Glacier.
The waterfall plunges down a steep rock face. This rock face leads into the Swiftcurrent Creek Valley. Because the area is so remote, not much is known about the falls. We mostly know about its impressive height and the type of rock it flows over.
The Rocks of Swiftcurrent Falls
The waterfall flows over a type of rock called limestone. Many of the mountains in Mount Robson Provincial Park are made of this same rock. Limestone is a very interesting rock because it is quite porous. This means it has tiny holes and cracks, almost like a sponge.
Swiftcurrent Creek is a large creek, even near its start. Because limestone is porous, the creek has carved big grooves and even tunnels into the rock face. Most of the time, much of the water from the falls flows through these underground tunnels. This means you can't always see all the water flowing!
It's believed that when there's a lot of water, like after heavy rain or snowmelt, more of the falls might flow above ground. However, for most of the year, a big part of the waterfall is hidden inside the tunnels it has carved into the limestone.
