Limburg Basin

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The Limburg Basin between Taunus and Westerwald

In addition to the Middle Rhine Basin, the Limburg Basin forms one of the two large intramontaneous subsidence areas within the Rhenish Slate Mountains . It forms the middle part of the natural spatial main unit group Gießen-Koblenzer-Lahntal between the Weilburg Lahntal area and the Lower Lahn valley on both sides of the Lahn around the city of Limburg .

description

Natural areas in the Limburg region (Limburg-Weilburg district)

The approximately 20 x 14 km wide, poorly forested landscape chamber of the Limburg Basin is designed as a tectonic break-in field and connects the more deeply incised valley stretches in the Weilburg Lahn valley area with those of the Lower Lahn valley. It is divided into the north and south Limburg basin hill country as well as the almost flat Inner Limburg basin with the Villmarer Bucht and the Linterer Platte , in the bottom of which the winding course of the Lahn has sunk about 50 m deep. The hills protruding at the edges of the basin or towering from it form landmarks that are visible from afar and characterize the landscape, such as the Heidenhäuschen ( 397.9  m above sea  level ) north of Steinbach , the Mensfelder Kopf ( 313.7 m ) and the sich  Beyond the eastern edge of the basin in the Langhecker Lahntaunus (in the eastern Hintertaunus ) the Galgenberg ridge (with a high point at 277.1  m ) near Villmar.

The subsoil consists mainly of rocks from the geological Lahn basin , which emerge on the edges and on steeper valley slopes. Of particular importance are three stretches of Central Devonian mass limestone ( Lahn marble ) running from west-southwest to east-northeast , which are embedded in the predominantly volcanic rocks ( diabase , scarf stone ) of the Lahn basin. In the north, the more recent volcanism of the Westerwald occurs with individual basaltsGalgenberg ( 241.8  m ) near Hadamar , Großer Berg ( 245.3  m ) near Ahlbach , Beselicher Kopf ( 296  m ) near Obertiefenbach  . These are related to tectonic faults that run through the basin in a north-south direction and are recognizable from the widenings near Dietkirchen and Limburg and from the fillings of ditches (sand, gravel, clay).

The Lahn leaves the basin at Diezer Pforte and, accompanied by rising terrace corridors, merges into the Lower Lahn Valley at Fachingen . The mineral springs there arise from a tectonic fault line, which forms the western edge of the basin to the western Hintertaunus , which is visible from afar , and which can be traced over the thermal springs from Bad Schwalbach and Schlangenbad to the Rheingau .

Large parts of the pelvis Limburger carry powerful loess cover, so on the Ahlbacher flange plate which by Elz - Hadamar edge of the pool with the Elbbach basic and Schupbach - Hofener edge plate with the valley of the lower dungeon Bach is flanked by way of limitation. In addition to the favorable climate, the black earth- like soils make the basin an important old settlement area with intensive cultivation of grain and root crops . In the southern part of the basin with the Kirberg hill country, the popular names Goldene Grafschaft on the Aar and Goldener Grund along the Emsbach remind of this. Not to be underestimated is the geographical importance of the basin as an important Lahn crossing near Limburg, as evidenced by long-distance trade routes of the early Middle Ages , in the tradition of which the federal motorway 3 and the high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main are on a very similar route today.

View from Mensfelder Kopf to the Limburg Basin, Limburg is in the center of the picture

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