A UK river valley: the River Tees

The River Tees

The River Tees rises on Cross Fell, the highest point in the Pennines, in north-east England. It flows east for about 137 km, through Teesdale, to its mouth on the North Sea near Middlesbrough.

From source to mouth, it shows the changes in a river and its valley:

the upper course, in the wet, steep uplands of the North Pennines;
the middle course, through Teesdale;
the lower course, across the lowlands to its estuary.

Key terms

Upper course

Steep slopes and V-shaped valleys: near its source, the river erodes mainly downwards, between .
, a dam across the upper Tees, stores water for industry on Teesside.
High Force: the river drops about 21 m over the Whin Sill, a layer of hard lying on softer limestone, sandstone and shale. The soft rock is undercut and the hard rock collapses, so the waterfall is slowly retreating upstream.
about 700 m long lies below High Force, cut as it retreated.
Low Force, further downstream, is a smaller set of falls over the same hard rock.

Key terms

Middle and lower courses

Middle course: below Middleton-in-Teesdale, the valley widens, with gentler sides and a flood plain. The river begins to , past the market town of Barnard Castle, with river cliffs on the outside of bends and slip-off slopes on the inside.

Lower course: across the lowlands, the river winds in large meanders, such as those around Yarm, and has built a wide and .

the , opened in 1995 at Stockton, holds back the tide. Below it, the river widens into its estuary, with docks and industry at Middlesbrough, and mudflats and salt marsh at Seal Sands, home to seals and birds.

Exam tip

Name a place on the Tees for each landform, and say which course it is in.

Key terms

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

6 marks · about 6 minutes

Using an example, explain the landforms of erosion in a UK river valley.

Explain means: Give the reasons why something happens, developing each point with "because" or "so".

Link it

Use the facts from:

The River Tees (Teesdale and Teesside, north-east England, Present day)

Level 1 (Basic)· 2/6 marks (band 1–2)

The River Tees has a waterfall called High Force. There is also a gorge.

Why this level: Two named landforms but no explanation of how they formed. To reach Level 2: explain how erosion formed them, using the rocks and processes.

Level 2 (Clear)· 4/6 marks (band 3–4)

In the Tees' upper course, the river erodes mainly downwards, forming a V-shaped valley with interlocking spurs. At High Force, the river drops about 21 m over the Whin Sill, a band of hard rock lying on softer rock. The soft rock is eroded and the hard rock collapses, so the waterfall moves upstream.

Why this level: Clear, accurate explanation of landforms on the Tees. To reach Level 3: explain the processes more fully and include the gorge, with its length.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 6/6 marks (band 5–6)

The River Tees rises on Cross Fell in the North Pennines. In its upper course, the river erodes mainly downwards, cutting a steep V-shaped valley, and winds between interlocking spurs. At High Force, it drops about 21 m over the Whin Sill, a layer of hard dolerite lying on softer limestone, sandstone and shale. The falling water erodes a plunge pool by hydraulic action and abrasion, and undercuts the soft rock, leaving an overhang of dolerite that collapses. As this repeats, High Force is retreating upstream, and has left a steep-sided gorge about 700 m long below it.

Why this level: Detailed, accurate use of the Tees example, with processes explained and figures, for several landforms of erosion. This is Level 3.

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