Rhine Falls

Geschichte

The Rhine Falls is a waterfall in Switzerland, Europe.The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich, between the villages of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen/Dachsen, next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.They are wide and high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250m3/s, while in the summer, the average water flow is 600m3/s. The highest flow ever measured was in 1965; and the lowest, in 1921.The falls can not be climbed by fish, except by eels that are able to worm their way up over the rocks.GeologyThe Rhine Falls were formed in the last ice age, approximately 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, by erosion-resistant rocks narrowing the riverbed. The first glacial advances created today's landforms approximately 500,000 years ago. Up to the end of the Wolstonian Stage approximately 132,000 years ago, the Rhine flowed westwards from Schaffhausen past Klettgau. This earlier riverbed later filled up with gravel.