Luxembourg sandstone

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The Bockfelsen in Luxembourg City is made of Luxembourg sandstone

The Luxembourg sandstone is a calcareous bound sandstone from the time of the Lower Black Jura (Lias alpha 2). It forms the near-surface geological subsurface of large parts of Luxembourg , the so-called Ferschweiler Plateau , a plateau in the west of the Eifel district Bitburg-Prüm in Rhineland-Palatinate and the Bollendorfer and Wißmannsdorfer Plateaus.

Emergence

The Luxembourg sandstone was formed near a river delta. From north to south the river poured sandy sediment from the area of ​​the Rheinische Masse into a shallow basin of the Jura Sea. The deposits subsequently solidified there with lime that was also introduced. If it is still around 30 m thick in the area of ​​the Ferschweiler plateau, it loses its thickness in the direction of Luxembourg.

meaning

The Luxembourg sandstone is a step former z. B. in the Mesozoic layered landscape of the Bitburger Gutland. If the geological layer of the Luxembourg sandstone is cut by rivers and streams that cut into the morphologically hard rock, the layer step is formed and rocks are formed . Rock falls occurred along the cliffs . For example, the Irrel waterfalls came into being when rockslide blocked the course of the Prüm River. On the surface of the earth, the calcareous binder is released from the rock under the influence of precipitation. The sand is then mined as construction sand , for example in a sand pit near Ernzen . Cellars are relatively easy to dig into the Luxembourg sandstone. There are numerous wine cellars in the Luxembourg sandstone area . The casemates , the underground part of the fortifications of the city of Luxembourg , are also located in the Luxembourg sandstone. The Devil's Gorge and the Irreler Waterfalls are examples of tourist attractions that are directly connected to the Luxembourg sandstone. The Luxembourg sandstone is also known for its honeycomb structures, a special form of weathering .

use

Luxembourg sandstone shape the local building image in the southwest of the Bay of Trier and large parts of Luxembourg. The Fraubillenkreuz near Nusbaum -Rohrbach is also made of Luxembourg sandstone. Numerous medieval millstones have also been made from this natural stone. Today there are only a few active quarries, mainly near Dillingen in Luxembourg , which quarry the sandstone for natural stone and gravel extraction.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl-Heinz Schumacher & Walter Müller: Stony Eifel - Origin, extraction and use of the Eifel rocks , Koblenz 2011, ISBN 978-3-86972-008-1 , p. 211
  2. ↑ Karl-Heinz Ribbert: Geology in the Rhenish Slate Mountains, Part 1 Nordeifel , Krefeld 2010, ISBN 978-3-86029-934-0 , pp. 74-75
  3. ↑ Pierre Kauthen: From the 'Fraubillenkreuz' to the grave of St. Willibrord. In: Hémecht 2011 (63rd year), issue 1, pp. 5–20
  4. ^ Karl-Heinz Schumacher & Walter Müller: Stony Eifel - Origin, extraction and use of the Eifel rocks , Koblenz 2011, ISBN 978-3-86972-008-1 , p. 211

literature

  • Karl-Heinz Schumacher & Walter Müller: Eifel rich in stones - origin, extraction and use of the Eifel stones . Görres-Verlag, Koblenz 2011, ISBN 978-3-86972-008-1 .