Eitorfer Switzerland

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In the district of Stein, which is named for this, the basalt columns, which form in solidifying lava, were commercially dismantled. The area is now a natural habitat for the yellow-bellied toad .

The following districts of the municipality of Eitorf belong to Eitorfer Switzerland :

and the sunken forester's house Hüppelröttchen . The hilly area on the Leuscheid rises above the Eitorfer valley basin and the Eiper valley to the south-east and forms the first mountain ranges to the Westerwald .

There is a lively bachelor club, a dog training area and a forest nature trail.

Basalt quarry stone

The Stein volcano is registered as a natural monument NSG SU-086. The basalt is 19 million years old. It covers an area of ​​0.1 km², the column height is 15-20 m.

Most of the approx. 270 basalt formations in the Middle Rhine region are less thick. The volcano in stone is one of the few exceptions. According to the current state of knowledge about the formation of the basalt volcanoes in the Rhineland and based on investigations on the local occurrence by the geological state office of North Rhine-Westphalia in Krefeld, the volcanic events in Stein can be reconstructed as follows: The extraction of the basaltic magma took place on the northwestern edge of the Occurrence via a tubular chimney which broke apart under the pressure of further penetrating masses in the southeast. The lava flowed into a depression in front of the volcano, more than 20 m deep, where it accumulated and solidified to form a lava blanket. In the next 19 million years, the volcano's cinder cone was completely built up. The rock of the quarry created in the lava cover shows the cooling-related secretion forms typical of basalts, predominantly pentagonal and hexagonal columns. The pillars lying flat in front of the quarry walls fell during the blasting and demolition work.

The quarry is a refuge for rare animals and plants. Above all, the Russian bear (a type of butterfly) and the yellow-bellied toad are threatened species.

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Coordinates: 50 ° 44 '  N , 7 ° 28'  E