Editing Multnomah Falls (section)

==Structure==
The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of {{Convert|542|ft|m|0}} and a lower falls of {{Convert|69|ft|m|0}}, with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as {{Convert|620|ft|m|0}}. The two drops are due to a zone of more easily eroded [[basalt]] at the base of the upper falls.<ref>{{cite web |title= Multnomah Falls plummets 620 feet |website= Multnomah Falls Lodge |access-date= October 8, 2016 |url= http://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/falls.html |archive-date= September 25, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160925132544/http://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/falls.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Height===
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of [[Oregon]].{{sfn|Roza|2010|p=11}} It is credited by a sign at the site of the falls, and by the United States Forest Service, as the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States.<ref name=waterfallrank>{{cite web
|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8_MNNYSKAOUjMeXDfAxg8vh1h4Psw68fJG-AAzga6Pt55Oem6hfkRhhkmTgqAgCHNFDO/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfMjAwMDAwMDBBODBPSEhWTjBNMDAwMDAwMDA!?ss=110622&navtype=forestBean&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&cid=null&ttype=main&pname=Columbia%2520River%2520Gorge%2520National%2520Scenic%2520Area%2520-%2520Home%2Fforest%2Frecreation%2Fwaterfalls%2Fmult-falls.shtml
|title=Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
|access-date=January 9, 2018
|work=United States Department of Agriculture
|publisher=United States Forest Service
|archive-date=March 4, 2016
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072759/http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8_MNNYSKAOUjMeXDfAxg8vh1h4Psw68fJG-AAzga6Pt55Oem6hfkRhhkmTgqAgCHNFDO/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfMjAwMDAwMDBBODBPSEhWTjBNMDAwMDAwMDA!?ss=110622&navtype=forestBean&navid=091000000000000&pnavid=null&cid=null&ttype=main&pname=Columbia%2520River%2520Gorge%2520National%2520Scenic%2520Area%2520-%2520Home%2Fforest%2Frecreation%2Fwaterfalls%2Fmult-falls.shtml
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> However, there has been some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 156th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls).<ref name=tallestUSwaterfalls>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/country-tallest-waterfalls/United-States/1/ |title=Tallest Waterfalls in the U.S.|access-date=August 28, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829180451/https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/country-tallest-waterfalls/United-States/1|archive-date=August 29, 2014|work=World Waterfall Database}}</ref><ref name=WWDMultnomah>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Multnomah-Falls-4051/|work=World Waterfalls Database|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215193909/http://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Multnomah-Falls-4051|archive-date=December 15, 2012|title=Multnomah Falls|access-date=August 28, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The World Waterfall Database disputes claims that Multnomah Falls is the fourth-tallest waterfall in the United States, which has been claimed in such sources as the ''Encyclopedia of World Geography'' (2013).{{sfn|McColl|2014|p=691}}

===Water source===
Underground springs from [[Larch Mountain (Multnomah County, Oregon)|Larch Mountain]] are the year-round source of water for the waterfall, augmented by spring runoff from the mountain's snowpack and rainwater during the other seasons. This spring is the source of Multnomah Creek.{{sfn|Romano|2011|p=209}}

=== Benson Lake ===
Multnomah Creek drains into [[Benson State Recreation Area|Benson Lake]] approximately 1,300 feet west of the bottom of the falls.