Selandjafoss' plunge pool (Iceland)

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

A plunge pool (or plunge basin or waterfall lake) can be a natural hydrologic fluvial landform feature or a constructed recreational garden feature. It is a stream pool, lake, or pond that is small in diameter, but deep.

Formation[link]

Plunge pools are formed under the force of a natural source, such as a waterfall or rapids, but also as the result of scour from man-made objects such as spillways and bridge abutments. The swirling water, sometimes carrying rocks within it, erodes the riverbed into a basin, often featuring irregular and rough sides. Plunge pools can remain after the waterfall has ceased to exist or the stream has been diverted.

Plunge pools are erosional features which occur in the youthful stage of a river. When soft rock has been eroded back to a knickpoint, water constantly bombards its base. Because this rock is often less dense than surrounding strata, the water from the higher grade continues eroding downward.

Garden feature[link]

A plunge pool, also known as a cold plunge, can be a recreational water feature in landscape design, and constructed in gardens. They can be small-diameter swimming pools used for wading in warmer climates or adjacent to saunas.

These plunge pools are built to the same codes and specifications as swimming pools in regards to structural engineering, sanitation and filtration requirements, safety and liability precautions, and building permits. They can be unheated in climates without seasonal freezing, since their purpose is not for active recreation or exercise. Their smaller surface and ease of covering reduce evaporative water losses, and need for potable water refilling. Their popularity has increased with concerns and needs for domestic water conservation, more sustainable landscaping design, and reduction of resource consumption with energy-efficient landscaping.

See also[link]

Environment portal

• Riffle
• Stream gradient
• List of waterfalls by flow rate
• List of waterfalls by type
• Sustainable landscape architecture

References[link]

External links[link]

• USGS: Stream Modeling website

This geomorphology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

v t e Ponds, pools and puddles Ponds Ash pond Balancing pond Ballast pond Beel Cooling pond Detention pond Dew pond Evaporation pond Garden pond Ice pond Immersion pond Kettle pond Melt pond Mill pond Raceway pond Retention pond Sag pond Salt evaporation pond Sediment pond Settling pond Solar pond Stabilization pond Stepwell Stew pond Stormwater management pond Polishing pond Tailings pond Tarn Treatment pond Waste pond Pools Anchialine pool Brine pool Natural pool Plunge pool Reflecting pool Spent fuel pool Stream pool Swimming pool Tide pool Vernal pool Puddles Bird bath Coffee ring Puddle Puddles on a surface Seep puddle Biota Beaver pond Common pond skater Common puddle frog Duck pond Fish pond Goldfish pond Koi pond Lotus Pond heron Pond lily Pond snail Pond turtle Pondweed Ecosystems Freshwater ecosystem Lake ecosystem Lentic ecosystem Pond ecosystem Related topics Aerated pond Bakki shower Big fish–little pond Body of water Full pond Hydric soil Phytotelma Pond aeration Pond of Abundance Pond liner Ponding The Pond Puddle (M C Escher) Spring Swimming hole Water garden Water Lilies (Monet) Water well