Nievelsteiner sandstone
| Nievelsteiner sandstone | |
|---|---|
 Nievelsteiner sandstone at the Aachen town hall
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| Main features | |
| group | Sedimentite |
| Subgroup | Quartz sandstone |
| Occurrence | Herzogenrath near Aachen |
| colour | white, flamed in parts |
| use | Stone, sculptures
|
| Trade names | Herzogenrath sandstone |
| Dismantling situation | dormant degradation |
| Division into hard and soft stone | Soft rock |
| Age | Pliocene |
| Reference example | Aachen Cathedral |
| Special marks | Root tubes, finely divided plant remains |
The Nievelsteiner Sandstein , also Nivelsteiner Sandstein or Herzogenrather Sandstein , is a Pliocene quartzitic sandstone that has been used as a natural stone , especially in the Rhine-Maas region, since Roman times . The sandstone was mined in a sand pit near Herzogenrath , directly on the German - Dutch border.
geology
As quartz sandstone, the Nievelsteiner sandstone belongs genetically to the locally clustered tertiary quartzites . The initial sediments for the sandstones are pliocene quartz sands , which were consolidated into sandstones and quartzitic sandstones by mobilized silica , especially at the top of the sequence as a result of diagentic processes . While in the vicinity of Herzogenrath these silicified sands are mostly to be found in the form of large, irregular blocks, in the Nievelstein sand pit near Herzogenrath they form a relatively flat, up to 8 m thick, more or less coherent, quartzitic sandstone layer that is not of the mighty ones solidified, white quartz sands, which have been mined since 1850, especially for the Limburg glass and Maastricht porcelain industries. While the mining of the sandstone was largely stopped - some construction areas are currently still accessible in order to be able to obtain replacement material for monument protection if necessary - the underlying quartz sand is still mined for the flat glass production located in Herzogenrath and as foundry sand .
education
The fine to medium-pored Nievelsteiner sandstone is a white, partially brownish flamed, medium-grain sandstone, which is often traversed by mm-large, irregularly curved root holes. A characteristic feature of the sandstone is the inclusion of small, dark, point-shaped plant remains. Such parts were referred to in the literature as Savelstein . The sandstone is made of pure quartz , zircon is an accessory . The binding agent of the sandstone is purely pebble. The silicification fluctuates strongly in places, in addition to almost quartzitic rock sections there are also only weakly silicified sandstones that are easily sanded. As a result, the Nievelsteiner sandstones are affected by different degrees of weathering . Pure white sandstones are usually less susceptible to weathering than the brownish and flamed varieties. Over time, thin crusts can form on the surface of the sandstones, which can lead to flaking and eruptions as weathering progresses.
use
The Nievelsteiner sandstone is a stone that has been valued since Roman times and was used, among other things, to build villas, but also thermal baths in Aachen . Especially in the Middle Ages , the Nievelsteiner sandstone was a sought-after building material in the Rhineland and Flanders .
Depending on its fluctuating material properties, sandstone was also used in different ways. In addition to its use as building material and facade cladding, the Nievelstein sandstone has been used for tombs , portals, lintels and lintels as well as for sculptural work such as sculptures and sculptures .
Usage examples
In Aachen , large parts of the Nievelstein sandstone (64.1%) form the rising masonry of the Gothic choir of Aachen Cathedral above the bluestone base. During the Carolingian construction phase, large sandstone blocks from Herzogenrath were used in the construction of the central building. Figurative decorations on the cathedral, such as the gargoyles and the sundial , were also made from Nievelstein sandstone. In addition, many older buildings in Aachen were built with the help of Nievelsteiner sandstones, such as the Aachen town hall , the Ponttor and parts of the Aachen city wall . Nievelsteiner sandstone was also used as a building material for numerous church and representative buildings, u. a. the Cathedral of Utrecht and churches in Maastricht , Wylre and the Rimburg Castle and the Abbey Rolduc .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Erich Holzapfel: Explanations on the geological map of Prussia and neighboring states . Sheet Herzogenrath. Berlin 1911, p. 19th f .
- ^ Nivelsteiner Sandwerke und Sandsteinbrüche GmbH: History. Nivelsteiner Sandwerke und Sandsteinbrüche GmbH, accessed on May 27, 2017 .
- ↑ Hans-Karl Siebigs : The Gothic stone material - again the material for the renovation work . In: Udo Mainzer (Ed.): The Gothic choir hall of the Aachen Cathedral . Workbook of the Rhenish Preservation of Monuments 58. Petersberg 2002, ISBN 3-935590-38-5 , p. 188 f .
- ^ Andreas Schaub: Temple for Cybele and Isis in Aachen . In: Raban von Haehling , Andreas Schaub (Hrsg.): Römisches Aachen. Archaeological-historical aspects of Aachen and the Euregio . Schnell and Steiner, Aachen 2013, ISBN 978-3-7954-2598-2 , pp. 262 .
- ↑ Hans-Karl Siebigs: The Gothic stone material - again the material for the renovation work . In: Udo Mainzer (Ed.): The Gothic choir hall of the Aachen Cathedral . Workbook of the Rhenish Preservation of Monuments 58. Petersberg 2002, ISBN 3-935590-38-5 , p. 191 .
- ↑ Christoph Schaab: The work on the stone substance of the choir hall . In: Udo Mainzer (Ed.): The Gothic choir hall of the Aachen Cathedral . Workbook of the Rhenish Preservation of Monuments 58. Petersberg 2002, ISBN 3-935590-38-5 , p. 195 ff .
- ↑ Hans-Karl Siebigs: The Gothic stone material - again the material for the renovation work . In: Udo Mainzer (Ed.): The Gothic choir hall of the Aachen Cathedral . Workbook of the Rhenish Preservation of Monuments 58. Petersberg 2002, ISBN 3-935590-38-5 , p. 183-194 .
- ↑ Ulrike Heckner, Christoph Schaab: Building materials, construction technology and construction of the Aachen Palatine Chapel . In: Andrea Pufke (Ed.): The Carolingian Palatine Chapel in Aachen. Material - construction technology - restoration . Workbook of the Rhenish Preservation of Monuments 78.Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 2012, ISBN 978-3-88462-325-1 , p. 174 f .
- ^ Roland Walter : Aachen geo routes . Grenz-Echo Verlag, Eupen 2012, ISBN 978-3-86712-058-6 , pp. 131 ff .
- ↑ Angela Ehling, Heiner Siedel, Siegfried Grunert, Michael Kempler, Mareen Czekalla: Building sand stones in Germany . Ed .: Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials . tape 1 : Basics and overview. E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagbuchhandlung (Nägele and Obermiller), Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-510-95982-2 , p. 132 .