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Wonder
Jusu Ravine Falls (Jušu gravas ūdenskritums)
In short
The ancient Baltic Ice Sea coast in Northern Kurzeme holds many values. One of them is the multiple small, gorgeous ravines with small waterfalls. The approximately 2.3 m high Jusu Ravine Falls are one of them.
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In detail
Slitere Blue Mountains
Baltic Sea since the end of the last Ice Age had a complex history. This includes two periods when the present-day sea was a large lake. The first lake that was blocked by the giant glacier of the late Ice Age, is called now the Baltic Ice Lake. It existed some 12,600 – 10,300 years ago.
In the present-day Northern Kurzeme, this lake created an impressive bank – most likely, this was a long, 20-30 m high cliff, where the sandstone and other rocks of Devonian period were exposed.
Since then the land has risen and the sea receded for many kilometres, but the ancient coast still is there. This coast – Slitere Blue Mountains (Slīteres Zilie kalni) – is a steep rise that is covered with gorgeous pristine forest and traversed with numerous ravines of small rivers and streams.
This is an area of very high biological diversity, a place with numerous interesting landmarks and legends.
Description of Jusu Ravine Falls
North-west from Jusi farmstead is one of the numerous ravines that traverse the Slitere Blue Mountains. The upper part of this ravine is a picturesque canyon that is surrounded by some 5-7 m high cliffs of the Middle Devonian sandstone of the Arukula Formation. At the end of this ravine is a small waterfall that falls freely over the cliff overhang. Beautiful!
Further below, at the base of Slitere Blue Mountains, has formed a sticky, muddy terrain, soaked with water and rich with small springs. In the earlier times, there was mined lime. This also is a valuable ecosystem where many rare species are met. Please, don’t go there, do not disturb the valuable flora!
And, even further away from the coast, in the forest is another natural wonder and a place of legends – Jusuleja Erratic Boulder.
This is one of the rather many similar ravines with waterfalls of Slitere Blue Mountains. Most of them are located in nature reserve and should not be accessed without permit. Jusu Ravine Falls can be accessed, but, please, bear in mind that this is a wilderness, a pristine forest without tourist infrastructure.
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