How old is the High Force waterfall?

300 million years
Welcome. High Force is one of the most impressive waterfalls in England. The River Tees has been plunging into this gorge for thousands of years but the rocks it reveals are far more ancient – with origins dating back over 300 million years!

Is High Force the highest waterfall in England?

Despite popular belief that it is the highest waterfall in England, at 71 feet (22 m), others have a longer fall: Cautley Spout, in Cumbria’s Howgill Fells, is almost 590 feet (180 m) high, and Hardraw Force, in North Yorkshire, has an unbroken drop of 98 feet (30 m).

How deep is the plunge pool at High Force?

21 metres
A woodland walk leads visitors to this spectacular feature which is a mass of whirling waters. Lying on the River Tees, which starts as a trickle high on the fells of the North Pennines, the water gradually gathers pace, suddenly dramatically dropping 21 metres into the plunge pool at High Force.

How did High Force waterfall form?

High Force was formed where the River Tees crosses the Whin Sill – a hard layer of rock. The waterfall itself consists of two different types of rock. The upper band is made up of whinstone, a hard rock which the waterfall takes a lot of time to erode. This creates a plunge pool beneath the waterfall.

How did the High Force waterfall get there?

High Force. High Force is one of Britain’s great waterfalls. It is in Teesdale, County Durham. It was created by erosion when a river went through the rock and did not erode the hard upper layer of igneous rock, but eroded the bottom layer of soft limestone, a sedimentary rock.

What kind of rock is high Force waterfall made of?

High Force was formed where the River Tees crosses the Whin Sill – a hard layer of igneous rock (also seen at Hadrian’s Wall and other locations). The waterfall itself consists of three different types of rock. The upper band is made up of whinstone, or dolerite, a hard igneous rock which the waterfall takes a lot of time to erode.

Which is the biggest waterfall in the UK?

Leaflet | Map data © Ordnance Survey (OS) High Force is England’s biggest waterfall, spectacularly drops 70 feet (21m) into a plunge pool below. From its rise as a trickle, high on the heather covered fells at the top of the North Pennines, to the top of the whin sill rock at Forest -in-Teesdale, the River Tees steadily grows and gathers pace.

Which is waterfall has the largest volume of water falling?

However, High Force does have the largest volume of water falling over an unbroken drop when in full spate, thereby earning its Nordic name ‘High Fosse’. Stock footage of the waterfalls was featured in the film Mackenna’s Gold.