Horizontal Falls
Encyclopedia
The Horizontal Falls, also called Horizontal Waterfalls are a natural phenomenon in the Kimberley region
of Western Australia
, in Australia
.
Despite their name, the Horizontal Falls aren't actual waterfall
s but a very fast moving tidal
flow between two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range located in Talbot Bay. The freshwater source which feeds the inner gorge is Poulton Creek. (16°22′59"S 123°57′29"E and 16°22′35"S 123°57′34"E) in the Buccaneer Archipelago
.
The northern-most and seaward gorge is 20 metres wide and the inner one is 12 metres. Above each of the gorges are natural reservoirs of between 6 and 8 km long which fill and empty with seawater through the gorge openings. As the water passes through the narrow openings, changing tides can give rise to a couple of metres height difference in the sea level between both sides. The direction of the flow reverses with each turning tide. As the tides in the Kimberley can run up to 10 metres, the flow through the 'Horriez' (local name) on a large tide is spectacular.
Kimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Despite their name, the Horizontal Falls aren't actual waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s but a very fast moving tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
flow between two narrow gorges of the McLarty Range located in Talbot Bay. The freshwater source which feeds the inner gorge is Poulton Creek. (16°22′59"S 123°57′29"E and 16°22′35"S 123°57′34"E) in the Buccaneer Archipelago
Buccaneer Archipelago
The Buccaneer Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Western Australia near the town of Derby in the Kimberley region. The closest inhabited place is Bardi located about from the western end of the island group....
.
The northern-most and seaward gorge is 20 metres wide and the inner one is 12 metres. Above each of the gorges are natural reservoirs of between 6 and 8 km long which fill and empty with seawater through the gorge openings. As the water passes through the narrow openings, changing tides can give rise to a couple of metres height difference in the sea level between both sides. The direction of the flow reverses with each turning tide. As the tides in the Kimberley can run up to 10 metres, the flow through the 'Horriez' (local name) on a large tide is spectacular.