Scheidegger waterfalls

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The two great Scheidegger waterfalls of the Rickenbach
Waterfall of the Scheibenbach (Upper Waterfall)
Riedbach tributary

The Scheidegger waterfalls are a geotope west of Lindenberg im Allgäu in the district of Lindau , about 1.5 km east of the German - Austrian border . The Scheidegger waterfalls are made up of several rocky steps, over which the Rickenbach overcomes a total difference in altitude of over 40 m.

The geotope Scheidegger waterfalls has been classified by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as a geoscientifically valuable geotope (geotope no. 776R007). In 2004 the Scheidegger waterfalls were also included in the list of the 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria .

location

On the site below the visitor parking lot, the Riedbach and Scheibenbach merge and then flow on as the Rickenbach. In its lower reaches in the Rohrach Gorge , the Rickenbach forms the border water between Germany and Austria, until it then rises into the Leiblach . The Rickenbach falls over three rocky steps over a short stretch, with the uppermost waterfall located directly below the parking lot and being formed by its tributary Scheibenbach. The Riedbach coming from the south flows on a Nagelfluh layer surface towards the Scheibenbach and in places undermines the hard rock.

The two large waterfalls are located below the leisure and play area and are accessible to tourists via paths, footbridges and viewing platforms.

Geological evolution

Waterfall with alternation between Nagelfluh and Mergel. A pool is formed at the foot of the waterfall.
Alternating layers of Nagelfluh (above), sandstone and marl stones (gray), partially tectonically deformed

Located in the geological unit of the Rhine-Jungmoränenregion, the Rickenbach cuts through the rocks of the Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM). In the gorge, alternating sequences of conglomerate Nagelfluh, which was deposited from the Pfänder rubble fan, as well as softer yellowish-gray to dark-gray sandstones and marl stones are exposed. Since the sandstone and marlstone are less resistant to weathering , they were washed out by the sediment-laden stream water and form extensive pools at the foot of the waterfalls . The weather-resistant Nagelfluhbanks form the overhanging steep steps over which the stream water falls 22 or 18 meters. In the lower profile area, tectonic deformations can be observed in the softer marl stones, which can be attributed to the unfolding of the Alps .

The marl or clay marl stones often form water-retaining layers on which entire packages of rocks can slide off on the high slopes. A landslide can be observed on the north side of the valley , during which around 500 cubic meters of rock and rubble slipped in 1999. The intensely moistened debris is today characterized by a characteristic vegetation of giant horsetail ; the trees show more or less intense hooking .

The rocks were sedimented 17 to 15 million years ago in the Miocene under continental deposit conditions. While the coarse conglomerates from the Pfänder area were transported by rivers into the molasse basin in front of the Alps, the sand and especially the marlstone layers were formed from flood and oxbow lakes of meandering rivers.

During the last ice age , the deep erosion of the Rickenbach began, which led to the formation of the deep Rohrbach gorge. There are other waterfalls in the area that can be traced back to similar formation processes.

One of the latest rock formations - in addition to the sliding masses - Kalktuffbildungen in the area of small streams, by carbonate - precipitate resulting from kalkgesättigtem creek water with the participation of mosses.

  • Tufa formation

  • Landslide

  • Giant horsetail

tourism

The Scheidegger waterfalls are accessible to tourism via several paths and viewing platforms. Numerous information boards provide information about the formation of the rocks and the gorge, actu-geological processes and the use of hydropower. The topic of hydropower is explained by partly interactive machines and diagrams next to and on the water playground, which opened in 2007. There is a working hydraulic ram and the possibility to operate an Archimedean screw (worm pump). The Scheidegger waterfalls are part of the Westallgäu waterways .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Scheidegger waterfalls NW of Scheidegg. In: Geotope Register Bavaria. Bavarian State Office for the Environment, August 11, 2016, accessed on August 17, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Scheidegger waterfalls. In: Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes. Bavarian State Office for the Environment, accessed on August 17, 2016 .
  3. ^ Herbert Scholz: Building and Becoming the Allgäu Landscape . 3. Edition. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 2016, p. 175 ff .
  4. ↑ Scheidegger Water World. Geopark Allgäu, accessed on August 17, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Westallgäu waterways: 31 tours. (pdf) Westallgäu Tourismus e. V., July 2019, accessed April 8, 2020 .

Web links

Commons : Scheidegger waterfalls  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 35 ′ 30 ″  N , 9 ° 50 ′ 22 ″  E