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Wonder

Bukupe Falls (Bukupes ūdenskritumi)

Bukupe Falls, January 2004
Bukupe Falls, January 2004. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

WorldBlue  In short

Right next to the busy road between Riga and Liepaja are Bukupe Falls – small, picturesque falls.

19.1 %

GPS coordinates
56.6685 N 22.3264 E
Location, address
Europe, Latvia, Kurzeme, Saldus Municipality, Zirņi parish, on Bukupe River some 30-40 m north from A9 (Riga-Liepaja) road
Stream
Bukupe River
Height
Total – around 1 m, with three steps that are 0.2, 0.2, and some 0.5 m high
Drops
3 (real fall is the last, 0.5 m high)
Width
Approximately 5-6 m

Map of the site

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WorldYellow In detail

In the ravine of Bukupe River shortly before its fall in the flooded Ciecere River valley (Pakuļi mill pond) have formed small waterfalls and cliffs.

Bukupe Falls in spring, April 2023
Bukupe Falls in spring, April 2023. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

Earlier nature enthusiasts thought that this is the only waterfall in Latvia that formed on limestone. This could be Permian limestone – a witness of the early dinosaur era.

Closer check-ups by geologists testified that similar to most other waterfalls in Latvia, Bukupe Falls formed on dolostone. This dolostone formed in Upper Devonian and belongs to the Šķervelis Formation of the Famennian stage. Thus, it formed well before dinosaurs, some 360 million years ago.

Bukupe Falls in summer, August 2001
Bukupe Falls in summer, August 2001. / Gatis Pāvils, CC BY-SA 4.0

Of course, the waterfall itself is much younger and formed after the last Ice Age.

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