simple facts
Name: Chestnut Ridge Falls, or “Falls of Eternal Flame”
Location: Chestnut Ridge Park, Erie County, New York
Coordinates: 42.70158, -78.75113
Why it’s unbelievable: The waterfall is filled with natural gas, which allows it to burn uninterrupted.
Eternal Flame Falls is one of the few waterfalls in New York state with a natural “eternal” flame in the world.
As its name suggests, Eternal Flame Falls features a continuous fire burning behind the falls. The small flame can grow up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) tall, but is protected from spray and wind by the walls of a small surrounding cave.
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According to NY Falls, a website that provides guides to New York’s waterfalls, the air around Eternal Flame Falls is filled with a rotten egg-like odor. That’s because the cascades are surrounded by natural gas seeps that release hydrogen sulfide, methane, and other gases into the atmosphere. And the greatest of these springs is directly beneath the Eternal Flame.
Gases like methane are highly flammable. Thanks to a small cave shelter, the natural gas escaping from this well can be ignited with a match or lighter and burned permanently. Other wells surrounding Eternal Flame Falls are similarly unprotected, so igniting them will not create a permanent fire. According to New York Falls, these springs are invisible unless they are at the bottom of a river or puddle near the falls, in which case you can see the gas bubbling away.
Eternal Flame Falls’ natural gas comes from the decomposition of organic matter in buried layers of shale. Specifically, this gas comes from a geological formation called the Hanover Shale that dates back to the Devonian Period (419.2 million to 358.9 million years ago). As organic matter decomposes in this 90-foot-thick (27.5 m) layer, gases are released and accumulate underground. As the pressure increases, these gases escape through cracks in the rock and the soil above it, creating seepage at the surface.
According to NY Falls, the best time to visit Eternal Flame Falls is in early spring, when the falls and Eternal Flame are most impressive. Because waterfalls rely heavily on snowmelt and rainfall, they typically dry up in the summer and fall. Flames, on the other hand, rely on relatively dry conditions. Although it burns more intensely in the summer, it looks even more beautiful in the spring, as the waterfall diffuses the light like a lampshade, creating an otherworldly glow.
According to New York Falls, Eternal Flame Falls is fed by Shale Creek, which joins another waterway called Eighteenmile Creek about 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. The water then flows into Lake Ely.
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