Havasu Falls

Havasu Canyon is a paradisiacal gorge where turquoise waters cascade into travertine pools and graceful willows and lofty cottonwoods provide shade... more

by Inge Johnsson

Title

Havasu Falls

Artist

Inge Johnsson

Medium

Photograph - Digital Scan From 35mm Fuji Velvia Chrome Digital Capture

Description

Havasu Canyon is a paradisiacal gorge where turquoise waters cascade into travertine pools and graceful willows and lofty cottonwoods provide shade and greenery in an extraordinary setting of towering red sandstone cliffs beneath a cerulean sky. It is a side branch of the Grand Canyon that was once the home of a prehistoric people but more recently it has been the occupied by the Havasupai for the past 800 years.
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Captured with a Canon EOS-3 and Canon EF 28-70/2.8L lens.
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Havasu Falls (Havasupai: Havasuw Hagjahgeevma) is a waterfall in the Grand Canyon located 1 mile from Supai. It is arguably the most famous and most visited of all the falls and consists of one main chute that drops over a 120-foot (37 m) vertical cliff into a large pool. Due to the high mineral content of the water, the falls are ever-changing and sometimes break into two separate chutes of water.
The falls are known for their natural pools, created by mineralization, although most of these pools were damaged or destroyed in the early 1990s by large floods that washed through the area. A small man-made dam was constructed to help restore the pools and to preserve what is left. There are many picnic tables on the opposite side of the creek, and it is very easy to cross over by following the edges of the pools. It is possible to swim behind the falls and enter a small rock shelter behind it.
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Havasu Creek starts out above the canyon wall as a small trickle of snow run-off and rain water. This water meanders on the plains above the canyon for about 50 miles (80 km) until it enters Cataract (Havasu) Canyon. It then reaches Havasu Springs, where an underground river feeds the creek. This spring can be accessed by heading upstream when the creek is first encountered. The water stays at about 70F (21C) all year around. The creek is well known for its blue-green color and distinctive travertine formations. This is due to large amounts of calcium carbonate (lime) in the water that formed the limestone that lines the creek and reflects its color so strongly. This also gives the creek an interesting feature as it is ever changing. This occurs because any items that fall into the stream mineralize very quickly, causing new formations and changing the flow of the water. This causes the creek to never look the same from one year to another. The creek runs through the village of Supai, and it ultimately flows into the Colorado River.

Uploaded

January 14th, 2012