Eistobel
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The Eis tobel ( Westallgäuerisch Isdobl ) is a gorge of the river Obere Argen in the Westallgäu between the village Schüttentobel and the Argentobelbrücke , which connects the places Maierhöfen and Grünenbach . Over a distance of about three kilometers, framed by up to 130 meter high rocky slopes, the water of the Upper Argen falls in several steps ( cascade ) downhill, losing about 70 meters in altitude. The Eistobel gets its name from the waterfalls that used to turn into ice for several months in the winter. The Eistobel is part of the nature reserve of the same name and is designated as a geotope .
course
At the beginning of the Eistobel, at the confluence of the Schüttentobelbach, the Obere Argen is initially dammed and the potential energy of the water is converted into electrical energy in a run-of-river power station . After many small waterfalls and rapids, the Eistobel ends at the Argentobel Bridge, and the stream continues to flow more calmly. The nature reserve ends behind the bridge.
geology
The valley of the Eistobel opens up an exemplary profile in the erected foreland molasse . The oldest rocks - the sediments of the Lower Freshwater Molasse - (USM) are accessible at the southern entrance of the gorge . This sandstone - marlstone series is characterized by a high proportion of feldspar . The sands rich in feldspar were transported at the turn of the Oligocene to the Miocene from the area of Eastern Switzerland by means of bowl and horn fillings parallel to the Alps into the Allgäu. This special form of feldspar-rich molasses is also known as granitic molasses .
In the further course of the profile, greenish sandstones, marls and conglomerates are exposed, which were deposited in the shallow marine area during the Lower Miocene. The greenish color is due to the appearance of glauconite , which forms in the coastal area of shallow marine seas. These rocks are assigned to the Upper Sea Molasse (OMM). Mighty, fossil-poor conglomerate banks are embedded, which often form steep steps in the valley. In places, broken oyster shells are stored en masse in the conglomerates .
In the northern part of the ravine, the conglomerate-marl alternation of the Upper Freshwater Molasse (OSM) occurs, which was deposited in this area from the Upper Lower Miocene (approx. 18 million years ago). The hard conglomerate ( Nagelfluh ) banks form the steep steps of the numerous waterfalls in the ravine. Sandwiched between the hard benches are thinner marl layers whose Ausstrichsbereich on the hillside by the appearance of smaller and larger landslides and the valley floor by Vernässungszonen with Moor - and swamps is characterized. The sedimentation of the rocks of the Upper Freshwater Molasse ended about 9 million years ago, in the Tortonium . In the deposits of the Upper Freshwater Molasse, there are some low -grade brown coals stored, which were mined especially in times of economic hardship. Due to the low calorific value and the fluctuating and small thickness of the Riedholz seam , these brown coals are no longer of economic importance today.
In the course of the unfolding of the Alps , the different rocks of the gorge have been displaced after their deposition. The southern edge of the otherwise unfolded foreland molasse , which the Eistobel intersects, shows a bend in the rock layers towards the Alps. Therefore, the molasses layers are inclined to the south of Eistobels still with about 40 ° to the northwest, while the layers of flat, at the northern end of the gorge with about 15 ° incident .
The most recent deposits include tufa formations that form on streams that tumble over the conglomerate banks on the slopes. Here is done with the help of mosses a precipitation of lime from kalkgesättigten creek waters.
Numerous fluvial forms of erosion such as whirlpool holes , whirlpool kettles and pools can be observed in the stream bed .
The Eistobel was created at the end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago, when a meltwater lake formed in the valley near Ebratshofen . The lake drained via a drainage channel in the area of today's ravine. As a result of erosive processes, the gorge deepened. The drainage channel was probably built earlier, in the Middle Pleistocene around 380,000 years ago.
The geotope molasse profile Eistobel NNE from Grünenbach has been classified by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment as a geoscientifically particularly valuable geotope (geotope no. 776R001) with a suitability as a special scientific reference object. In 2009 the molasse profile in the Eistobel was voted one of the 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria .
tourism
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A hiking trail follows the entire length of the gorge. The hike through the Eistobel is popular with families and, with the necessary caution, can also be done with small children from around four years of age. The path through the gorge remains closed in winter.
There is a small information center at the north entrance to the gorge, where visitors can find out more about how the gorge was formed.
The following stations are indicated by information boards along the way:
- First waterfalls;
- Great waterfall; The water of the Upper Argen falls 18 meters deep into a deep pool
- Kennel; here the river squeezes through mighty boulders;
- High wall;
- Waterfall at the ice pier;
- Reservoir and large Nagelfluhwand; Here a 50 meter high vertical Nagelfluh wall rises up from the Argen, which is dammed up to form a lake.
See also
literature
- Fördergemeinschaft Eistobel e. V .: Eistobel - Westallgäu waterways . In: Experience nature: Allgäu - Westallgäu , Weiler 2012, 12 pp.
- K. Lemcke: The Bavarian Alpine Foreland before the Ice Age . In: Geologie von Bayern , Volume 1, Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 1988, 175 pp.
Web links
- Eistobel as part of the Westallgäu waterways
- Eistobel in the Allgäu Geopark
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Herbert Scholz: Building and Becoming the Allgäu Landscape . 3. Edition. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-510-65333-1 , p. 158 ff .
- ↑ Molasse profile Eistobel. In: Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes. Bavarian State Office for the Environment, accessed on August 15, 2016 .
- ↑ Geotope data sheet Molasse profile Eistobel ENE from Grünenbach. (PDF) In: Geotope Register Bavaria. Bavarian State Office for the Environment, accessed on August 12, 2016 .
- ↑ 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria: Information board - Eistobel. (No longer available online.) Bavarian State Office for the Environment, 2009, archived from the original on August 12, 2016 ; accessed on August 12, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 47 ° 37 ′ 50 ″ N , 10 ° 2 ′ 13 ″ E