How Geocaching Works
This cache is located at Victoria Falls National Park on the Zimbabwe side of the waterfall. Admission to the park varies by nationality, but is US$0.50 for Zimbabwean and Zambian citizens and US$20-30 for most other nationalities. Please do not log this cache without emailing the answers to the questions in a timely fashion and no "armchair caching" please, as in both situations the log will be deleted!
Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning "The Smoke that Thunders," is the indigenous name of Victoria Falls. Stone artifacts dating as far back as 3 million years have been discovered at the site, but the first European to visit was the Scottish missionary Dr. Livingstone on November 17, 1855. He was so impressed by the Falls that he named them after his Queen and famously wrote- "It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." Tourism soon followed due to Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company building the Victoria Falls bridge right next to the Falls so the "spray of the falls over the train carriages," and today serves as the only rail link between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Large parts of Southern Africa are covered in basalt deposits which originated in volcanic activity during the Jurassic Period, which was 150-200 million years ago. Cracks formed in the basalt over time as the lava cooled, which was filled with softer materials like clay and lime. Over time the Zambezi River cuts through these soft materials and the erosion has caused the creation of the gorges downstream from Victoria Falls. This water flow is so intense that over 2,000 years the Falls have receded 8km upstream to their present location.
Today, Mosi-oa-Tunya is a single vertical drop of 1708 meters wide and a height of 108 meters, making it the largest waterfall in the world when calculating the area of the sheet of falling water. (Don't worry, you'll figure it out in a sec!) There is an astonishing 1088 kgm³/s going over the waterfall on average, though obviously this number changes dramatically depending on the season.
To log this Earthcache, please E-MAIL the answers to the following questions:
1) Using the information above, what is the area of the sheet of falling water?
2) Calculate the amount of hydro power in the Falls- the equation you need is Power= Height*Flow*Gravity, where Gravity= 9.8 m/s^2.
3) What is your elevation at your current position?
4) (optional) Attach a picture of yourself at this location- though in high season the spray might make this very impractical!
(No hints available.)
Last Updated: on 5/20/2013 8:17:27 AM Pacific Daylight Time (3:17 PM GMT)
Coordinates are in the WGS84 datum