D I S C O V E R I N G V I C T O R I A F A L L S

Victoria Falls, also known as

Mosi-oa-Tunya (“the smoke

that thunders”), is one of

the most impressive natural

wonders on the African

continent. The site is the

result of millions of years of

geological evolution and

tectonic shifts, the history

of which reveals much about

the development of the

world as we know it today.

V I C T O R I A F A L L S : Q U I C K F A C T S

• Victoria Falls stands at

108 meters tall and

1,708 meters wide.

• It is located on the

border of Zambia and

Zimbabwe in southern

Africa, along the path of

the Zambezi River.

• The mist cloud from the

falls can be seen as far

as 48 kilometers away!

I N T H E B E G I N N I N G …

The foundational bedrock of

Victoria Falls is made of

basalt, a dark volcanic rock

that was formed around 180

million years ago. Over

millions of years of volcanic

eruptions, lava cooled into

layers of basalt, which were

then covered by new layers of

lava. This process repeated

many, many times over.

A N I S L A N D O F S T O N E

This ancient volcanic

activity created a 200-

kilometer basalt “island” in

the surrounding sandveld

(land characterized by dry,

sandy soil). In the area

around Victoria Falls, this

basalt is up to 300 meters

thick. As the land shifted,

giant cracks known as

“joints” appeared in the

rock, and were filled in by

softer, clay-like sediment.

T H E R I V E R R U N S T H R O U G H I T

When the basalt first formed,

the area of Victoria Falls was

a river-less desert. As the

land continued to shift,

water and tropical vegetation

began to move in and change

the landscape. Eventually, a

massive continental shift

caused the creation of the

Zambezi River, which began

to flow over the giant joints

in the basalt and erode the

clay sediment built up there.

T H E B I G S P I L L

What we know as the

Zambezi River was originally

two rivers that weren’t

connected. 10 to 15 million

years ago, geological

upheavals shifted the land

once again, causing the two

rivers to combine into the

modern Zambezi. This would

create the conditions

necessary for the formation

of Victoria Falls.

A F A U L T Y T H E O R Y

For many years, it was

incorrectly believed that

Victoria Falls was created

as the result of a fault line

opening up in the path of

the river. This theory was

first presented by Dr. David

Livingstone, the famous

explorer who was the first

European to see the falls,

and who named them after

Queen Victoria.

A L O N G H I S T O R Y

Victoria Falls is not the

first giant waterfall in the

area. Though the current

falls are believed to be

between 100,000 and

250,000 years old, there

were at least seven

waterfalls of comparable

size that formed in the

area in the past.

A B O U T A M A W A T E R W A Y S

AmaWaterways river cruises take travelers all over the world, from

Africa to Europe to Asia. Our special tour packages are designed to

create enriching, exciting tours for people with many interests.

Visit www.amawaterways.com to learn more, or to make a reservation.

S O U R C E S

• http://www.unmuseum.org/7wonders/victoriaf

alls.htm

• http://www.siyabona.com/explore-victoria-

falls-geology.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Falls