List of geotopes in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district

This list contains the geotopes of the Central Franconian district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria . The list contains the official names and numbers of the Bavarian State Office for the Environment (LfU) as well as their geographical location. This list may not be complete. Around 3,400 geotopes (as of March 2020) are recorded in the Bavarian geotope register. The LfU does not consider some geotopes suitable for publication on the Internet. For example, some objects are not safely accessible or may only be entered to a limited extent for other reasons.

Surname	image	Geotope ID	Municipality / location	Geological unit of space	description	Area m² / extension m	geology	Digestion type	value	Protection status	comment
Former quarry SW of Bieswang		577A001	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	The large, abandoned quarry provides a particularly good insight into the changeable sponge reef facies of the Mörnsheim reef range. Small independent reef domes build up in the Malm Epsilon over the Dolomites of the Malm Delta. In the Malm Zeta the reefs died and were mixed with plate dolomites.	40000 200 × 200	Type: standard / reference profile, sedimentary structures Type: dolomite stone, limestone	Quarry	precious	Natural park
Former quarry W of Osterdorf		577A002	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	The large, abandoned break is still well preserved and shows a profile through the Treuchtlinger marble. Numerous karst cavities filled with reddish clay are exposed on the break walls.	20000 200 × 100	Type: sequence of layers, karst chimney, karst crevice Type: limestone	Quarry	significant	Natural park
Former quarry N of Osterdorf		577A003	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	Treuchtlinger marble is very open in the disused, fossil-rich quarry. Old fracture systems and sinter formations can be studied in the northern quarry wall.	10000 100 × 100	Type: Rock Type: Limestone	Quarry	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Former quarry SE from Weißenburg	more pictures	577A004	Weißenburg in Bavaria position	Southern Franconian Alb	Good exposure of Treuchtlingen marble. It is planned to connect this former quarry with the active quarry in the north.	20000 100 × 200	Type: Rock Type: Limestone	Quarry	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Former quarry S von Rothenstein		577A005	Weißenburg in Bavaria position	Southern Franconian Alb	The disused quarry opens up the Treuchtlinger marble (from bank 25 to around bank 9). Clay-filled karst chutes and horizontal leaching horizons are impressively cut into the quarry walls.	5000 100 × 50	Type: Rock type, karst chimney, karst crevice Type: Limestone	Quarry	precious	Natural park
Abandoned quarry E von Ursheim		577A007	Polesingen position	Riesalb	The abandoned quarry opens up well-banked and fossil-rich Lower Malm. Above the Malm Gamma there is a polished surface and colorful breccia of the giant event. In the lower eastern part of the break, short horizontal shifts can be observed in the autochthonous Malm limestone.	20000 200 × 100	Type: Polished surface (impact), animal fossils, layer sequence Type: Limestone	Quarry	especially valuable	Landscape protection area, nature park
Former quarry SE of Langenaltheimer Haardt	more pictures	577A008	Langenaltheim position	Riesalb	This is the only disused quarry in which Solnhofen limestone is still well exposed. Most active quarries are backfilled with excavated material during or after their exploitation. The fracture is considered to be the type locality of the plate limestone. In 1992 another specimen of the ancient Archeopteryx was found near this break.	10000 100 × 100	Type: Type locality, Animal Fossils Type: Limestone	Quarry	precious	FFH area, bird sanctuary, nature park	Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes No. 71
Former suevite quarry SW of Polsingen		577A009	Polesingen position	Nördlinger Ries	The small quarry is located within the Ries crater and is developing massive suevite (4 m thick). It consists mainly of red, vesicular melt rock that includes numerous crystalline fragments (mainly granites). This suevite differs from the normal formation in the appearance of a coherent, void-rich melt rock and thus inspired the assumption of a melt layer at the crater floor, which was not confirmed, however.	200 20 × 10	Type: Type locality Type: Suevite	Quarry	especially valuable	Natural park
Exposure WNW from Weimersheim		577A010	Weißenburg in Bavaria position	Southwest Albrand region	On both sides of the mountain cut, the Upper Aalen layers are exposed with thin iron ore seams.	5000 100 × 50	Type: Rock Type: Sandstone	embankment	significant	Soil monument, landscape protection area, nature park
Huns Church NE of Weissenburg		577A011	Höttingen position	Southwest Albrand region	Below the Bismarck Tower, several Great Dane rocks have been thundered out of their surroundings in the forest. What is striking is the holey weathering of the sandstone layers that were once clayey.	625 25 × 25	Type: Rock type, Tafoni / honeycomb weathering, rock wall / slope Type: Sandstone	Slope crack / rock wall	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Hill on the Hüssinger Berg		577A012	Westheim position	Nördlinger Ries	The western tip of the Hüssinger Berg marks the boundary of the outer, heavily fragmented zone of the Ries crater against the Alb in the northeast. The summit is formed by the severely broken limestone and marl of the Lower Malm. A notice board explains the special feature.	4900 70 × 70	Type: Rock type, ejecta material (impact) Type: Limestone marl	Slope crack / rock wall	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Hollow road near Hechlingen	more pictures	577A014	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	The ravine-like ravine offers a very good outcrop of Doggersandstein with its ore horizons. Disturbances parallel to the slope offset the sequence of shifts several times. The ravine is part of a local and natural history educational trail.	1500 150 × 10	Type: Rock type: Sandstone, iron / manganese ore	embankment	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Iron sandstone outcrop NE of Hohentrüdingen		577A015	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	Diagonally layered Doggersandstein with iron oid layers is exposed in the former sand pit directly on the road.	150 30 × 5	Type: Rock Type: Sandstone	Gravel pit / sand pit	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Former quarry NE of Hürth		577A017	Treuchtlingen position	Riesalb	The former quarry near Hürth opens up a profile from the middle Malm Gamma to the lower Malm Delta in stratified facies: at the bottom, 7 m of gray bench limestone are exposed, followed by about 2 m of Crussoliensis marl and 4 m of banked Uhlandi limestone. The bottom three benches of Treuchtlingen marble form the end.	300 30 × 10	Type: Layer sequence, Animal fossils Type: Limestone, Marlstone	Quarry	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Felsenkeller in Thalmannsfeld		577A018	Bergen position	Southwest Albrand region	There are approx. 25 cellars along the street that are a few meters deep. The upper ones are filled. The sandstone is unlocked at the entrances, e.g. T. with traces of weathering. The cellars are used.	1650 110 × 15	Type: Sedimentary structures, rock cellars Type: Sandstone	Rock cellar	significant	Natural park
Quarry W von Fuchsmühle		577A019	Treuchtlingen position	Riesalb	In the now disused quarry, the top two meters of the Upper Marl Limestone (Arzberg Formation, Malm Gamma) are exposed on the bottom of the entrance area. Above it is more than 30 meters of Treuchtlinger marble (Treuchtlingen formation, Malm Delta). The formation boundary is particularly easy to see here.	30000 200 × 150	Type: sequence of layers, rock type: limestone, marlstone	Quarry	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Former Juramarmorbruch Stiegler NW of Solnhofen		577A020	Solnhofen position	Riesalb	Treuchtlinger bank lime was mined in the abandoned Stiegler quarry.	7000 100 × 70	Type: Type of rock, sequence of layers, quarry / pit type: Limestone	Quarry	precious	Landscape protection area, FFH area, bird sanctuary
Hobby quarry ESE von Langenaltheim		577A021	Langenaltheim position	Riesalb	In the separately traced western part of the geotope 577A008, at the Urvogel discovery site Hobbysteinbruch Langenaltheim, fossils can be collected in thin-plate Solnhofen limestone for a small fee from April 1 to October 31.	3500 70 × 50	Type: Rock type, Layer sequence, Animal fossils, Quarry / Pit Type: Limestone	Quarry	precious	FFH area, bird sanctuary, nature park
Quarry area at Schrandelberg SE from Langenaltheim		577A022	Langenaltheim position	Riesalb	The abandoned quarry on Schrandelberg opens up unusually thin-plate Solnhofen limestone.	4000 100 × 40	Type: Type of rock, sequence of layers, quarry / pit type: Limestone	Quarry	precious	Landscape protection area, FFH area, bird sanctuary
Former Iron ore mine Grubschwart NE von Rothenstein	more pictures	577G001	Raitenbuch position	Southern Franconian Alb	Funnel pits, mine shafts and tunnels are reminiscent of the former iron ore mining. These were stored as floor ore in the clay filling of an extensive karst system. An educational trail about the history of mining with 21 stations clearly leads through the area. An audio guide can also be downloaded as an app for smartphone or tablet from www.infofeld.de/grubschwart.html.	5000 1000 × 5	Type: tunnel, karst shaft & horizontal cave, pinge field Type: limestone, clay	Tunnel / gallery / shaft	especially valuable	Soil monument, landscape protection area, nature park
Karlsgraben	more pictures	577G003	Treuchtlingen position	Southwest Albrand region	The Karlsgraben testifies to one of the greatest engineering achievements of the early Middle Ages. Charlemagne wanted to connect the Rhine with the Danube through a navigable canal between the Swabian Rezat and the Altmühl, as the rivers approach here at almost 1800 m. After 1,400 m had been excavated (approx. 6,000 workers and 780,000 m³ of earth), supply bottlenecks presumably led to the abandonment of the canal project. The geotope is one of Bavaria's hundred most beautiful geotopes and is explained on site with a corresponding information board.	50000 1000 × 50	Type: Trench, Canal Type: Gravel	no information	especially valuable	Soil monument, landscape protection area, nature park	Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes No. 34
Hell funnel NW of Osterdorf		577G005	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	There are numerous former quarrying sites in a confined space, where floor ores were extracted from tertiary karst fillings. What remained were heaps, funnel pits and some 10 m deep exhumed karst shafts.	45000 300 × 150	Type: Pinge field, sinkhole, karst shaft cave Type: Limestone, clay	Ping	precious	Soil monument, landscape protection area, nature park
Hollow hole SW from Raitenbuch	more pictures	577H001	Raitenbuch position	Southern Franconian Alb	The hollow hole opens up the dolomites of the Malm Delta. With the ordinance of the LRA WUG of May 20, 1980, the hollow hole was placed under protection as a natural monument (§ 28 BNatSchG). Because of the risk of accidents and to protect the native bats (including Myotis myotis), the natural monument is fenced in and cannot be entered.	1000 100 × 10	Type: Karst shaft & horizontal cave Type: Dolomite stone	Slope crack / rock wall	precious	Natural monument, FFH area, landscape protection area
Devil's Cave W by Bieswang		577H002	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	The approx. 100 m long horizontal cave has two entrances that lead into a vestibule.	200 100 × 2	Type: Karst horizontal cave Type: Limestone, dolomite stone	Slope crack / rock wall	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Source outlet The seven sources SW of Heidenheim	more pictures	577Q001	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	At the border between Opalimus Clay and Doggersandstein lies a spring horizon from which the seven springs arise.	100 10 × 10	Type: Layer Source Type: Sandstone	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Source outlet Steinbrunnen ESE von Göhren		577Q002	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	Several small spring outlets arise in a spring niche set in sandstone. The stone fountain rises on the otherwise arid karst plateau on a remnant of the Upper Freshwater Molasse. The year 1706 is indistinctly visible on the stone arch of the fountain.	1 1 × 1	Type: Layer Source Type: Sandstone	no information	significant	Monument protection, ground monument, landscape protection area
Gorge Teufelsbackofen NW of Fiegenstall		577R001	Höttingen position	Southwest Albrand region	The narrow gorge in the Upper Burgsandstein shows only a few outcrops. Feuerletten is waiting at the entrance. Fallen trees make inspection more difficult, especially in the central area.	18750 250 × 75	Type: Canyon, Rock Type: Sandstone	Impact slope / river bed / stream profile	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Stone channel SW from Wolfsbronn	more pictures	577R002	Meinheim position	Riesalb	The course of the stream lies in an approximately 130 m long and up to 160 cm high tufa dam, which is interrupted by several waterfalls. Despite the protection status, the property is to be regarded as largely destroyed, as the channel was artificially walled up with stones and concrete over its entire length as a maintenance measure. A negative example!	130 130 × 1	Type: Stone gutter, layer source Type: Tufa-lime	no information	significant	Nature reserve, landscape protection area, FFH area
Stone gutter SE from Spielberg	more pictures	577R003	Gnotzheim position	Riesalb	The stream is approx. 20 m long and a maximum of 10 cm high. The channel is deepened and lined with a little lime. The small groove is in the development stage.	6 20 × 0	Type: Stone gutter, layer source Type: Tufa-lime	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, FFH area, nature park
Stone channel S from Rohrbach	more pictures	577R004	Etten instead of position	Southern Franconian Alb	The stone channel near Rohrbach is approx. 60 m long and up to 1 m high. A wooden walkway was installed next to the gutter. The source of the channel arises between Opalinus Clay and iron sandstone, the channel grows by 2 to 3 cm annually. This channel was also partly artificially walled up. A natural development is no longer given. The red gorge with the sintered formations of the so-called Junge Steinerne Rinne also belongs to the property.	18 60 × 0	Type: Stone gutter, layer source Type: Tufa-lime	no information	significant	Natural monument, landscape protection area, FFH area
Stone channel NNE from Hechlingen	more pictures	577R005	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	The channel is approx. 10 m long and a maximum of 30 cm high; it has so far been largely preserved in its natural form. A notice board clarifies the specialty of the property.	10 10 × 1	Type: Stone gutter, layer source Type: Tufa-lime	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Stone gutter SE from Oberweiler	more pictures	577R006	Meinheim position	Riesalb	The stream, lined with tufa, is about 50 m long. The tufa excretions have not yet been anthropogenically changed.	30 30 × 1	Type: Stone gutter, layer source Type: Tufa-lime	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Dachsbaufelsen SE from Dettenheim		577R007	Weißenburg in Bavaria position	Southern Franconian Alb	The Dachsbaufelsen was shown on the geological map as sponge reef limestone in the area of Treuchtlinger marble. The rock is heavily mossed and deeply weathered in places, smaller caves lead into the rock.	100 10 × 10	Type: Dome, Rock, Fissure / Tectonic Cave Type: Limestone	Slope crack / rock wall	significant	Soil monument, landscape protection area, nature park
Rock group Twelve Apostles N of Esslingen	more pictures	577R008	Solnhofen position	Southern Franconian Alb	The Twelve Apostles belong to the Mörnsheimer Riffzug. The picturesque rocks are built up from the sponge algae limestone of the Middle Malm Delta. The rock group is geomorphologically classified as an ensemble, as the numerous isolated rocks represent a coherent range of reefs, which can be recognized by the garland-like coves that run from rock to rock.	60000 600 × 100	Type: rock group, rock tower / needle, rock castle, sedimentary structures Type: dolomite stone	Slope crack / rock wall	precious	Nature reserve, natural monument, landscape protection area	Bavaria's most beautiful geotopes No. 62
Hilltop of the Bubenheimer Berg E von Bubenheim	more pictures	577R009	Treuchtlingen position	Southwest Albrand region	On the top of the Bubenheimer Berg, Malm limestone and dolomite clods form hard blocks of up to several cubic meters in size. These hardlings are allochthonous clods that were blasted out of the area of the crater during the Ries disaster. The Malmschollen are usually intensely buried and z. Sometimes baked again, so that they weathered out of the environment as hardened people.	20000 200 × 100	Type: Ejecta (impact), rocky dome Type: Limestone	Slope crack / rock wall	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Teufelskanzel SE from Solnhofen	more pictures	577R010	Solnhofen position	Riesalb	The Teufelskanzel rock summit is built up from the bench-top Dolomites of the Malms.	20000 200 × 100	Type: Crag Type: Dolomite stone	Slope crack / rock wall	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Ponordoline E by Göhren		577R011	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	The Ponor trench is 200 m long, 25 m wide and has a maximum depth of 6 m in the western trench area. In the trench, a small stream flows to the mouth that was flooded with quarry rubble many years ago.	5000 200 × 25	Type: Ponor, sinkhole Type: Breccia, dolomite stone	no information	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Dolinenfeld E von Göhren		577R012	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	Group of several sinkholes, some of which act as ponors in heavy rain. The largest of the sinkholes has a diameter of approx. 20 m and a depth of approx. 10 m. Another very large sinkhole, in which current subsidence is taking place, is 200 m WNW of the intersection and has not yet been protected as an ND.	40000 200 × 200	Type: Dolinenfeld Type: Dolomite stone, limestone	no information	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Quartzite blocks E from Döckingen		577R013	Polesingen position	Riesalb	Various theories exist about the age and the cause of the accumulation of quartzite blocks around Döckingen. There are 8 blocks to the east of the village. The z. Blocks of several cubic meters consist of medium-grain, quartzite cemented sandstones. Fissure structures are characteristic of the quartzites, which can possibly be traced back to the Ries event.	20000 200 × 100	Type: Type locality, relict rocks Type: Sandstone	block	especially valuable	Natural park
Ponordolinen NE from Kohnhof		577R014	Polesingen position	Riesalb	In a small wood there are three large ponordolines with a temporary flow of water in a confined space. Fresh, steep subsidence in the washed-in clay is evidence of recent activity.	22500 150 × 150	Type: Ponor Type: Limestone, Loess Loam	Sinkhole / sinkhole	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Döckingen sinkhole SSE		577R015	Polesingen position	Riesalb	The large sinkhole is in the area of allochthonous rift clods. Fresh subsidence is evidence of the ongoing subsidence processes.	2000 50x40	Type: sinkhole Type: limestone	no information	precious	Natural park
Hunnenstein WSW from Markt Berolzheim		577R016	Market Berolzheim position	Riesalb	These are two blocks of quartz sandstone, the assignment of which has not yet been clarified.	1 1 × 1	Type: Relic Rocks Type: Sandstone	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, FFH area, nature park
Stream with sinter basin WNW Wolfsbronn	more pictures	577R017	Meinheim position	Riesalb	Small sinter basins have been formed along the course of the stream over a length of 100 m.	100 100 × 1	Type: Sinter formation, stream / river course Type: Limestone, sandstone	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, FFH area, nature park
Stone channel NNW from Heidenheim	more pictures	577R018	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	The small but beautiful Steinerne Rinne has not yet been developed for tourism. The natural development of the channel is partially disturbed by attempts to accelerate its growth.	150 150 × 1	Type: Stone Gutter Type: Limestone, Sandstone	no information	significant	Landscape protection area, FFH area, nature park
Hohler Stein NW from Stahlmühle		577R019	Heidenheim position	Southwest Albrand region	The limestone rock wall of the lower Malm lies just outside the edge of the Ries, which is noticeable in the intense fissures. Several small caves with beautifully washed-out profiles start here, but narrow quickly.	500 50 × 10	Type: Rock Castle Type: Limestone	Slope crack / rock wall	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park
Dolinenfeld in the Maierholz WSW of Döckingen		577R020	Polesingen position	Riesalb	In the forest area there are numerous sinkholes in a small space, including the Ponordoline Fuchsbau. In some sinkholes there are large blocks of sandstone that resemble the Döckinger quartzites.	300000 600 × 500	Type: Dolinenfeld, Ponor, relict rocks Type: Limestone, sandstone	Sinkhole / sinkhole	significant	Landscape protection area, nature park
Ponordoline SW from Rothenstein		577R023	Pappenheim position	Southern Franconian Alb	Large ponordoline with temporary tributaries from two tapering trenches. In the deepest part of the sinkhole you can also see large blocks and rock that may be standing under the clay cover.	2000 50x40	Type: Ponor Type: Limestone	Slope crack / rock wall	precious	Landscape protection area, nature park