In geology, waterfalls are called falling water, which is the phenomenon of river water falling vertically from high altitude when flowing through faults, depressions and other areas. During the period of existence of the river, waterfalls are a temporary feature and will eventually disappear. Generally

Appears in the middle and upper reaches of rivers, on the edge of plateaus, or on faults on the earth's surface.

Simply put, a waterfall is an area where flowing river water suddenly and nearly vertically falls, which is a major interruption in the flow of the river. In the upper reaches of the river, due to the frequent shortage of river water, many waterfalls are temporary and only appear during the rainy season or when the ice and snow melt.

Think about it.

Therefore, it is normal to have a waterfall not far from the foot of the mountain. There is also a hot spring next to it, which also shows that this place is a location with relatively weak geological structure and is prone to sudden drops.

But what is puzzling is that the mountain wall I saw is indeed straight and steep, like a cliff cut by hand, with no trace of long-term erosion by the force of water flow.

Except that the soil here has obvious traces of water transport!

"Gray! Come here quickly! There may be clues here!"

I shouted to Gray, who was searching in the distance, and asked him to give up his useless work on the other side and join me in the investigation here.

"Boss Marcus, what did you find here?" Gray quickly appeared next to me, curiously inquiring about what I found.

I said ambiguously: "I think this place... how should I say, should have a pool?" As I spoke, I measured an area of ​​about five meters on the ground with my feet and explained to him.

"There must have been water flowing through this place before, but I don't know when it stopped. But I'm thinking that whether it's the erosion of water over time or the violent impact of high water, there should be traces left."

After hearing what I said, Gray frowned and thought for a moment, then squatted down and touched the soil on the ground.

"Boss, the soil on this ground has the same composition as the soil on the side of the road. There are no traces of water flow."

I also fell into thinking: "That is the most abnormal place. Why do rock walls covered with vegetation have traces of water erosion, but the ground is as regular as a horizontal line? This normality is the biggest problem."

I further spread my thoughts and walked to the bottom of the rock wall, imagining the original scene here.

A long time ago, there should have been a section of water rushing down the cliff, forming a wonderful scene of a nine-day waterfall.

The violent water flow washes away the rock wall and finally hits the ground. Due to the erosion, it tends to cut deeply downward and should form a pool. The energy of the river will eventually produce a relatively smooth vertical profile with the concave surface of the waterfall pointing upward.

.Even when the gravel used as a tool for river erosion is not present, the energy available for erosion of the waterfall base is very large.

One of the characteristic features associated with waterfalls of any size, as well as with flow and height, is the presence of a plunge pool!

A plunge pool is a basin excavated in a river channel below a plunge. In some cases, the depth of a plunge pool may approximate the height of the cliff that created the waterfall. The plunge pool eventually causes the collapse of the cliff face and the waterfall.

of retreat.

"Gray, let me ask you a question." I finished thinking and turned my eyes to Gray again, "How does the river on Mads Mountain flow now?"

Grace spent a while and drew a sketch on the ground with branches. This was easy for him as a weapons designer.

"This river is formed by many fine tributaries of Maders Mountain and flows into the mountain lake on the mountain. And the amount of water will change according to the seasons of the year. This is how this river originated."

The shape of a lake is immediately drawn, and then a thicker solid line winds down.

"Then the river flows out of Banshan Lake, extends laterally along the mountain for a while, then flows down from the mountain and enters the top of the pasture area. From here, it enters the town."

The thick solid line slowly goes downwards, and soon the shapes of two buildings appear.

"The first is the Ore Town Ranch, the Yoder Cattle and Sheep Ranch, and after Mrs. Lilia's chicken farm, it officially merges into the sea and completes its mission."

After Gray finished describing it in detail, he turned his head and looked at me, "Boss, is there any problem?"

I held my forehead and finally felt that the problem had been pinpointed.

"Gulfred, dig down."

Gray looked at me puzzled: "Boss, what are you digging for?"

"Digging."

After I said this, I picked up a branch from the side and started digging at the location I expected.

Although Gray didn't understand my behavior, he still dug up the ground with me. With the two of us working together, we quickly dug a hole. Judging from the soil, it was still a combination of clay and soil. In today's abundant weather,

It was very humid under the rain, and an earthworm fled in panic.

But soon, with a "click" sound, the branches in Gray's and mine's hands suddenly broke!

There is an obvious fault in the land at a depth of twenty or thirty centimeters. Even if neither of us is an archeology professional, we can still feel the obvious difference.

That strange feeling, like this land is composed of two completely different soils!

Gray threw away the branch in his hand, dug out the solid soil at the bottom with his fingers, and used the rain to wash away the acidic clay content inside, leaving a lot of granular material in the palm of his hand.

"Pyrite, silite, low-purity gold, silver associated ore, brass and copper...Boss Marcus, the underlying soil is all ore waste!"

Ore waste! No wonder the ground has become extremely hard at this level, and the mighty branches in front have broken into the sand.

After Gray said this, both of our eyes turned to the abandoned mine behind the hot spring house.

"Boss, is this the address where waste mines were dumped in this mine before?"

I pondered for a moment and said: "In terms of distance and composition, they should be comparable. It seems that the miners dug out the ore, sorted it, and dumped a large part of the slag here."

The so-called ore is not something that can be mined directly and is mined. It often contains many impurities. Only by screening out those useless minerals can the remaining rich ore have the value of further smelting.

But Gray was a little confused: "But the behavior that fills this place is completely incomprehensible. Without running water, sorting minerals is a dirty and tiring job. It is basically asking for trouble."

Gray is also responsible for this kind of chores in the blacksmith house, so he understands the key points very well. His opinions are also very pertinent. This kind of behavior of killing the goose that lays the eggs will not do any good for the mining industry.

But there is no doubt that this sinkhole that may have existed in the past must be inextricably connected with the miners!
Chapter completed!