Horsetail waterfalls

Water stays in contact with the rock as it falls.

A horsetail waterfall keeps touching the rock face as it descends, fanning slightly and flowing over the surface. The name comes from the shape: a narrow top spreading to a wider, textured tail. Horsetails are common on steep, smooth cliffs and glacier-carved valley walls.

How to recognise one

Look for water sheeting over the rock rather than dropping clear of it.

For the geology behind the shapes, read how waterfalls form.