Record #00357Nature archive
Greatest Vertical Drop of an Underwater Waterfall
The Denmark Strait cataract between Greenland and Iceland carries dense cold water down the seabed by more than 3,500 metres, the greatest recorded vertical drop of an underwater waterfall.
ARCHIVE VISUAL / 01
NOT TO SCALE
Current Record
over3,500m
Current record value
- Holder
- Denmark Strait cataract
- Location
- Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland
- Start date
- —
- Record status
- VerifiedView verification details ↗Report an issue
Overview
Archive NoteCold, dense water from the Greenland Sea spills over the Denmark Strait's submarine topography and sinks beneath warmer Irminger Sea water, producing a vast overflow current.
The phenomenon was recognized in 1989. Its discharge can reach about five million cubic metres per second, but this entry measures vertical drop only; the database's existing discharge record remains a separate metric.
Record history
1 Milestones- over 3,500 mDenmark Strait cataractDenmark Strait between Greenland and IcelandCurrent Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
VerifiedThe record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
Guinness directly identifies the Denmark Strait cataract as the highest underwater waterfall, dropping more than 3.5 km.
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-05
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-05
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
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