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McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park and the McCloud River feature several stunning waterfalls. As you explore them, you might notice canyons of basalt, a rock formed from cooled lava. In some places, this rock even forms into hexagonal columns. The McCloud River and Burney Creek constantly pound against this rock, and even though rock may sometimes seem stronger than water, the canyons here are proof that the water is winning. The river’s power may be most apparent when watching the area’s waterfalls. Burney Falls, for example, is 129 feet tall, with 100 million gallons of water passing through it every single day. Have you ever tried swimming to the bottom of a pool? Think of the feeling it creates in your ears. If you dove down ten feet, that would be the force of ten feet of water pressing down on top of you. Now imagine the force of one hundred feet, or even more. That’s a lot of pressure!
Throughout time, humans have learned to channel this pressure to perform tasks it would be very difficult for a human to do. In modern times, this includes converting the energy of water into electrical energy. The McCloud River Dam does exactly this, with a generating capacity of 364 megawatts of energy (enough to power nearly 200,000 homes).
In the learning activity section, you will have the chance to explore the power of water for yourself, even constructing an ancient hydraulic machine.