The Niagara River, as is the entire Great Lakes Basin of which the river is an integral part, is a legacy of the last Ice Age. 18,000 years ago southern Ontario was covered by ice sheets 2-3 kilometers thick. As they advanced southward the ice sheets gouged out the basins of the Great Lakes. As the ice retreated northward, its meltwaters began to flow down through what became Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, down to the St. Lawrence River, and, finally, down to the sea. There were originally 5 spillways from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Eventually these were reduced to one, the original Niagara Falls, at Queenston-Lewiston. Then the Falls reached the Whirlpool.

The Falls turned into this buried gorge, tore out the glacial debris that filled it, and scoured the old river bottom clean. The Niagara is a fairly young river, only 12,000 years old!, a microsecond in geological time. The Niagara Escarpment, which was created by erosion is much older. of ice and water ate at the surface of the escarpment.

Niagara Falls is the second largest falls on the globe next to Victoria Falls in southern Africa.

All the outflow empties into the Niagara river and eventually cascades over the falls.

Great Lake-Ontario. formed-Lewiston Brange Gorge, Old Narrow Gorge, Upper & Lower Great Gorges and the Whirlpool Narrow Gorge.

On the eastern part of the island, the American Falls took shape, the Horseshoe Falls, is on the western side, where the river angles some 90 degrees.

The water flow on the American side of the falls is much less in strength because of Goat Island, whereas Horseshoe Falls has no obstruction to divert it.

Over the years these falls have been called at different times; Luna Falls, Iris Falls and is currently named Bridal Veil Falls.