History Of The Niagara River

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History of Niagara Falls and The Niagara River

The Niagara River and the Great lakes Basin, of which it is part of was created during the last great ice age about 18,000 years ago.

At that time, Southern Ontario was covered with ice over 3 kilometers ( 1.8 miles) thick that slowly traveled southward.As these ice sheets moved they dug into the bedrock or Southern Ontario slowly carving out the great lakes basin which includes the Niagara River.

Ending about 12,500 years ago, the ice began to melt and the water filled the cavities left by the glaciers creating the five great lakes including Lake Erie that drained its water to lake Ontario via several small rivers.Eventually, only one spillway remained connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Niagara River.

At this point, the waterfalls (Niagara Falls) was located at the escarpment at Queenston-Lewiston and with the new supply of water, began its erosion back along the river through the rock to where it is today. There is a marker sign that has been placed in Queenston showing visitors to the area exactly where the falls began so many years ago.

As the Falls worked its way back it came to a point in the river where the glaciers had covered an even older river bed with rocks and debris. The waterfalls with all it’s power or the Niagara River began to quickly turn up all this debris and very quickly erode back turning itself into more of a wild set of rapids more than a waterfall at this point, within a matter of only days, the falls turned a full 90 degrees and created what is now know as the Whirlpool and the Whirlpool rapids, North Americas largest set of standing waves.

Eventually as the rapids reached hard bedrock again they reverted back into a waterfall and continued eroding itself back to where the falls is located today. In the past 560 years it is estimate that the falls eroded back about 1-1.5 yards a year but today, due to diversion of the rivers water for hydro generation by both countries, the erosion has been reduced to about 1 foot per year and with more water diversion being planned may be reduced to 1 foot every ten years.

Eventually there will no longer be a waterfall to look at as it erodes back towards Lake Erie and one day will disappear leaving only the Niagara River to flow between the two lakes.

Don’t worry about rushing to see them before they are gone though because geologists believe this won’t happen for another 50,000 years.

Check out more information on the Niagara River and other Natural wonders of the Falls at the Quick Facts page.

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