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WYATT - Athabasca Falls

Item Number: -00008163

Athabasca Falls, Canada

The water here seems to be in a big hurry rushing through the narrow gorge. The force of the Athabasca River is funnelled into a narrow canyon cut in very hard, quartz-rich sandstone rock. Originally, the river cascaded over these cliffs but erosion has gradually moved the falls upstream to their present position. The water originates from the Columbia icefields and glaciers. The headwater comes from the Columbia Glacier about 70 kilometers south. Among the most powerful and breathtaking falls in the Rocky Mountains, The Athabasca River thunders through a narrow gorge where the walls have been smoothed and potholes are created by the sheer force of the rushing water carrying sand and rock.