The Angel Falls in Canaima National Park in Venezuela is the world’s highest or tallest waterfall. The falls were named after American aviator Jimmy Angel, who, in 1933, was the first to fly over the falls.
In 2009, The former President of the Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, announced his to change the name of the waterfall to the purported original indigenous Pemon (“Kerepakupai-Merú”, meaning “waterfall of the deepest place”) because the nation’s most famous landmark should bear an indigenous name. Angel Falls is commonly known for its Spanish surname Salto Ángel.
The waterfall cascade goes down to 3212 feet (979 meters) at the base from the Auyán-tepui mountain, which is more than half a mile (approx 1 kilometre) and one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. Most water evaporates through fog or moisture before it hits the ground.
The geological history of Angel Falls began over 200 million years ago, during the time of the supercontinent Pangaea. A shallow sea covered the waterfall area, and sedimentation formed layers of sandstone and shale over time.
Around 70 million years ago, tectonic activity began to lift the area, forming the Guiana Shield, a large plateau that covers much of northern South America.
The uplift caused the rock layers to fracture and formed deep canyons, including the one that Angel Falls flows through.
The river that feeds Angel Falls is the Churun River, which originates on the summit of the Auyán-tepui mountain. Auyán-tepui is one of the many tepuis in the region, and it is the largest, covering an area of over 700 square kilometres.
The Churun River flows over the top of Auyán-tepui and then plunges 979 meters over the edge, creating Angel Falls. The falls are created by the combination of the height of the drop and the volume of water that flows over the edge.
Over time, the constant flow of water has eroded the rock beneath the falls, causing the falls to move further upstream. The falls are still moving upstream at around one meter every 1,000 years.
