Subtropical Curtain Falls

Subtropical Curtain Falls is an original illustration set in Iguazu Region, Brazil/Argentina. It lies in the subtropics, where the climate is humid subtropical — hot summers, no dry season.

A horseshoe system of many parallel curtain waterfalls spans the scene. A column of mist rises with one clean arc of rainbow at its base. Dense subtropical forest crowds both rims, and the wet-season water is high under hot bright light.

Why do these falls break into many separate curtains?

Falls break into many separate curtains where a hard cap rock is cut by joints, so the river arrives at the lip already divided. The horseshoe shape is the retreat line — the lip erodes fastest where the flow concentrates. Permanent mist supports a distinct band of forest along the rim, and the volume places the moment in the wet half of the year.

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