Rivers case study
A landform created by the action of a river
High Force, River Tees, North Pennines, England
When to use this case study:
· A landform created by the action of water
· A landform created by the action of a river
· How people use a landform
Where is High Force?
· In the upper course of the River Tees, County Durham, England.
· Between Cow Green reservoir and Middleton-in-Teesdale.
· A hilly, rural area.
What is High Force and how did it form?
· High Force is a waterfall. The drop is about 70 feet (20 metres).
· It formed because hard rock (whinstone) lay on top of a layer of softer rock (limestone).
· As the river passes over the hard rock, the soft rock below is eroded more quickly than the hard rock. This creates an overhang as the erosion gradually undercuts the hard rock. A plunge pool forms at the base of the waterfall. Eventually the hard rock collapses into the plunge pool, deepening it, and the waterfall retreats upstream to form a gorge. The length of the gorge is currently about 700 metres.
How do people use High Force?
· The path down through the woods to the waterfall is private property and you have to pay a small fee (about £1.50) to walk along it.
· There is a hotel at the start of the path. You have to pay to use their car park (about £2). The hotel serves food and drink and provides accommodation, There is a campsite a couple of miles up the road. There is also a small gift shop which sells souvenirs – mugs, hats, pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers, chocolate, fudge, postcards etc with the High Force logo on them.
· People visit High Force for many reasons: to take photographs, to draw the scenery, to go for a walk in attractive surroundings. Geography teachers often take their pupils to show them the waterfall!
· People have affected the landform by dropping litter, footpath erosion, traffic congestion in the local area, and noise pollution.