What is the difference between a cascade and a waterfall?
I thought about asking this question on English Language and Usage, but decided not to because I want answers from people who are familiar with cascades and waterfalls in reality, not just in the abstract. Moreover, the definitions aren't very helpful.
From The Oxford English Dictionary, a cascade is:
Usually, a small waterfall; esp. one of a series of small falls, formed by water in its descent over rocks, or in the artificial works of the kind introduced in landscape gardening.
And from the OED, a waterfall is:
A cascade of water falling from a height, formed when a river or stream flows over a precipice or ledge; (also) a garden water feature resembling this.
Much of my hiking has been done in the Sierra, especially Yosemite, where waterfalls and cascades of every size abound. I have always thought of a waterfall as water that flows over a lip and then falls freely. And a cascade as water that may flow quite steeply downhill but remains in contact with the underlying rock or streambed. I would never describe Nevada Falls, for example as a cascade, nor would I describe the cascades that flow over the bare granite at roughly the 8,000 foot level of Yosemite Creek as waterfalls.
Is there a difference between the two in TGO in other parts of the world, or have I made up a distinction that is not commonly used in TGO?
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Waterfall-- Water falls vertically and without obstruction from a distinct feature, generally more than 1 m high and often across the full channel width
Cascade-- Fast flow with a smooth boundary and turbulent flow over boulders or bedrock. Flow is in contact with the substrate and exhibits upstream convergence and downstream divergence
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Note in the high background, that is a waterfall. In the foreground is the cascade. One part fills before the other does.
The picture below shows a cascade.
Key difference between the two: in a waterfall, water moves only downward, while in a cascade, it moves both downward and onward, like stairs
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/14369. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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