Albuch and Härtsfeld
Albuch and Härtsfeld is a natural area (main unit 096) of the Swabian Alb in the south-west German stepland .
location
The two natural subunits Albuch and Härtsfeld , together with the Kocher-Brenz Valley, form the east wing of the Middle Kuppenalb between the Lone area and the Ries . The area belongs to the lower parts of the Swabian Alb. From the Falkenberg (774 m) on the Albuch-Westtrauf, the surface drops continuously to the east and south-east to around 660–620 m above sea level in the Härtsfeld, in the inner Härtsfeld even to 550–600 m. The valleys, which are dry due to strong karstification , fall towards the Danube . Only the northern part of the Brenz-Kocher Valley, deepened to 475 to 500 m, with the flat valley watershed (507 m at Seegartenhof ) also drains superficially to the Rhine.
geology
The rocky west eaves in the catchment area of the Fils is still divided into edge heights. The tectonically influenced north eaves of the Albuch, adjoining to the east, is much more closed. The edge of the Härtfeld stage is also poorly resolved ( Jagst area). In the eastern part there are plate limestones (Zeta layers). The northern part is covered extensively with lime-poor flint loam. The surface forms differ from that of the western and central Kuppenalb. A weak relief prevails. In particular, the central areas around the Kocher and Brenz valleys and generally the plateaus are extensively forested. In terms of agricultural land, arable land predominates. The forest areas are mainly characterized by spruce and beech stands.
climate
Despite the lower altitude, the climatic conditions are very similar to those of the Middle Area Alb . The Eastern Alb has an annual mean of around 7 ° C. The north-west eaves, but especially the Rauhen Wiese area, is adversely affected by frequent late frosts. A related picture can also be seen in the precipitation. The highest annual sums (over 1000 mm) fall in the northwestern eaves area around Bernhardus and Hornberg . Precipitation decreases slightly from here onwards towards the Alb, but remains above the 900 mm mark almost everywhere north of the cliff line . Only the inner and southern Härtsfeld occupy a special position with an average annual sum of 800 to 900 mm.
Protected areas
The largest protected area is the EU bird sanctuary "Albuch". There are also some smaller nature reserves in the landscape, larger ones on the plateaus along Eyb and Lauter . The latter, the “ Cold Field ”, is also largely designated as an FFH area . Notable habitats in the landscape are primarily limestone grasslands, quarries and caves.
Protected area shares | % Total landscape area |
---|---|
FFH areas | 14.47 |
European bird sanctuaries | 11.83 |
Nature reserves | 3.06 |
Other protected areas | 0 |
Effective proportion of the protected area | 21.46 |
Source: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, as of 2010.
literature
- Hansjörg Dongus : Geographical land survey: The natural spatial units on sheet 171 Göppingen. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1961. → Online map (PDF; 4.3 MB)
- Ralph Jätzold: Geographical land survey: The natural spatial units on sheet 172 Nördlingen. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1962. → Online map (PDF; 3.9 MB)
Web links
- Natural area profile Albuch and Härtsfeld (096) (Note: the small BW share of the Ries-Alb (098) is integrated here.) - LUBW (PDF; 9.4 MB; notes )
- Landscape profile of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (much less detailed)