The Niagara Falls are the famous waterfalls between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. As in the case of all waterfalls, there is erosion of the rocky ledge of the waterfall.
According to Holt Earth Science 1994, p 178, “the whirlpool action at the base of the Falls erodes the weak shale rock at the base of the Falls. This erosion undermines the tough Dolostone layer at the top of the Falls, and from time to time the Dolostone breaks off, and the waterfall recedes”.
In the photograph, published by the Niagara Falls Museum Guide, the Crest Lines show the recession of the Horseshoe Falls since 1764. According to the Niagara Falls Museum Guide, the rate of recession has been 865 feet in 185 years, or approximately 4.7 feet per year.
According to Holt Earth Science, 1984, p.384, “the Niagara Falls was formed by weak rocks that rapidly wore back, forming a long gorge. Geologists have found that the falls move back at an average rate of 4 feet per year. A gorge about seven and a half miles long runs just below the Niagara falls. A simple calculation shows that it has been about 9,900 years since the Niagara River stated cutting its gorge back from Lake Ontario”.
Known facts about the Niagara Falls
- The Niagara River runs North from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.
- The Niagara Falls are slowly being eroded, so that the recession of the Niagara Falls causes the waterfalls to slowly move South towards Lake Eyrie.
- The Niagara Falls used to be further North, but has eroded 7.5 miles towards Lake Eyrie since 1764.
Why do the Niagara Falls exist at all?
- We would like to Evolutionists to explain to Creationists why, if the Niagara Falls are billions of years old, and the rate of recession is 4.7 feet per year, why the Niagara Falls exist at all.
- At the known rate of recession, the Niagara Falls should have eroded all the way back to Lake Eyrie billions of years ago.
According to the Bible:
- God created the Heavens and the Earth 6,000 years ago approximately.
- 4,400 years ago there was a world wide Flood.
- As the crust of the Earth was broken up, and water ran off the land, the geography was dramatically altered.
At this point we have to do some reasoning, based on observations and known facts.
- According to Biblical teaching, we would therefore expect the oldest waterfalls in the world to have an age of approximately 4,400 years, including the Niagara Falls.
- 4,400 years ago there was a Flood, and as the Flood water ran off about half of the flood water from Lake Eyrie washed out almost immediately.
- The Niagara Falls have been eroding the rocky ledge for the last 4,400 years only.
- The existence of the Niagara Falls tends to confirm the Biblical Creation account.