Yewdale Beck facts for kids

Yewdale Beck is a small river located in the beautiful Lake District area of Cumbria, England. It's an important part of the local natural environment.

About Yewdale Beck

Yewdale Beck starts when two smaller streams, called Henfoot Beck and Swallow Scar Beck, join together. Other tiny streams also add their water to the beck. This starting point is found east of a mountain called Wetherlam.

Where Yewdale Beck Flows

At first, Yewdale Beck flows towards the east. Then, it makes a turn towards the south-west, near a small village called Lower Tilberthwaite. As it gets closer to the town of Coniston, it changes direction again, flowing towards the south-east. Finally, the Yewdale Beck flows into the larger Coniston Water, which is a famous lake in the Lake District.

A Special Place for Science

Yewdale Beck is not just any river; it's a very special place! It has been named a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This means the area is protected because it has important natural features.

Scientists find Yewdale Beck very useful. It's one of the best places in Great Britain to study ancient rocks and how the Earth looked long ago.

• Stratigraphy: This is the study of rock layers. By looking at the different layers of rock along the beck, scientists can learn about Earth's history.
• Paleogeography: This is the study of what the Earth's geography was like in the past. The rocks here show how the land and seas changed over millions of years.
• Silurian Period: The rocks at Yewdale Beck are from a time called the early Silurian Period. This was a very long time ago, about 443 to 419 million years ago! During this period, the first jawed fish appeared, and plants started to grow on land.

By studying Yewdale Beck, scientists can understand more about our planet's ancient past.