Tatternsteine nature reserve with floodplain
The Tatternsteine nature reserve with Talaue is a nature reserve located in the Gedautal near Stolberg in the Aachen city region. This is one of currently 37 nature reserves in the city of Stolberg (Rhld.). It is located at an altitude of approx. 210 m above sea level.
The specialty of this nature reserve is the special geology in the form of an approx. 5 meter high rock formation, the Tatternsteine . These are surrounded by flora and fauna that are worth protecting.
geology
In the Upper Karbon , about 320 million years ago, a river from a mountain range south of today's Gedautal deposited debris in a broad river delta. In place of the former mountains, the Eifel exists today . The deposited rubble consisted mainly of rock fragments and weathered rubble. Presumably there was a sea depression here, which was filled.
These deposits, known as the Gedauer conglomerate , reach a thickness of up to 30 meters. In this way, mountain ranges were created in the vicinity of Stolberg (e.g. Burgholz conglomerate , Vicht conglomerate ), but they are usually much less thick. They can be found in the entire basin area of the Inde , which flows through the western urban area.
This deposit together with the overlying and underlying layers indicate the beginning of carbon in the vicinity of Stolberg .
The gravel solidified over time and a kind of natural concrete was created, which is known as Gedauer conglomerate , whereby the name Gedau comes from the neighboring Gut Gedau , a former copper farm .
Conglomerates are sediment particles. These are usually relatively coarse-grained, but fine-grained to sandy when the scree is transported over long distances. They consist of different types of rock and are usually rounded due to their transport. The binders can be different. Partly one finds clayey, partly pebbly or chalky materials. You determine the hardness of the conglomerate. In the area of the Gedauer conglomerate, mainly pebble binders are found, which lead to the high hardness of the rock. The the Tatternsteine forming Gedauer conglomerate is formed coarse, contains well rounded quartz pebbles and weakly rounded lydite . In addition, there are individual mudstone and coal fragments.
flora
The Gedautal is characterized by a rich flora. The bank area of the Inde shows the typical brook flora with pronounced willow vegetation . Birch and English oak grow at a greater distance from the Inde.
The area surrounding the rocky slopes of the Tatternsteine is characterized by dense bracken nests. The slope area in turn has a dense vegetation of common oak and birch . There are also large areas overgrown with blackberry bushes . The undergrowth of the pedunculate oak or birch is again bracken. An attempt is made to prevent the Tatternsteine from overgrowing by continuously removing the trees.
A small gorse hedge grows in the north of the area.
As part of a recultivation measure, an attempt is being made to establish a pipe grass area on the rocky slope. For this purpose, a start was made to force the removal of trees so that the areas could be regenerated.
fauna
The Tatternstein Talaue nature reserve is an ideal wetland biotope due to the Inde. The clear water provides an ideal habitat for numerous fish. At the same time, a large number of partially rare amphibians can be found in the damp forest regions .
Threat to the nature reserve
The nature reserve is part of a local recreation area
literature
- German Geological Society (Hrsg.): Journal of the German Geological Society . 1849.
- The district administrator of the Aachen district (ed.): Aachen district landscape plan: Stolberg / Roetgen . February 28, 2005.
- District government Cologne (Ed.): Nature reserves in the administrative district of Cologne . August 31, 2004 ( brk.nrw.de [PDF; 800 kB ; accessed on May 24, 2007]).
- Information boards in the nature reserve (see Commons)
Web links
- Nature reserve "Tatternsteine mit Talaue" (ACK-032) in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia
Coordinates: 50 ° 45 ′ 38.1 ″ N , 6 ° 12 ′ 13.8 ″ E