Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte

Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte
surface	8325.6
Systematics according to	Handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany
Greater region 1st order	02–06 → Alpine foothills
Greater region 2nd order	04–06 → Northern Alpine Foreland
Greater region 3rd order	04 → Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte
Natural area characteristics
Landscape type	Old moraines - gravel slab landscape
Geographical location
Coordinates	48 ° 14 '35 "  N , 10 ° 21' 48"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 14 '35 "  N , 10 ° 21' 48"  E
Location Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte
state	Bavaria , Baden-Wuerttemberg
Country	Germany

The partial landscapes of the Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte

The Danube-Iller-Lech-Platte , also known as the Upper Swabian Plateau , is a large natural region of the 3rd order of the Alpine foothills .

It extends from the upper reaches of the Danube to the south to the subalpine young moraine and consists largely of gravel terraces that were deposited by tributaries of the Danube in the Pleistocene and later partially eroded. The plate forms an approximately 5000 km² triangle with Sigmaringen in the west, the eastern edge of which extends from Donauwörth via Augsburg to Kaufbeuren.

Demarcation

In the north-west the Danube-Iller-Lech-Platte (main unit group 04) borders on the Swabian Alb (09), in the extreme northeast on the Franconian Alb (08) - both already part of the south-west German plains . The border is roughly formed by the Danube .

In the east, the Donau-Iller-Lech-Platten border on the Lower Bavarian Hügelland (06) and, further south, on the Isar-Inn-Schotterplatten (05). To the north of Augsburg , the eastern border runs roughly parallel to State Road 2035 (Augsburg- Pöttmes - Neuburg an der Donau ), south of Augsburg east of the Lech , roughly between Mering , Geltendorf and Schongau .

To the south, the Subalpine Jungmoränenland (03) borders the Danube-Iller-Lech-Platte and is centrally interrupted by the Nagelfluh heights and valleys between Lake Constance and Wertach (02) with the Adelegg . The border to the young moraine region is roughly formed by the terminal moraines of the Worm Ice Age .

Natural structure

The main unit group Danube-Iller-Lech-Platte is subdivided into main units (three-digit) as follows according to the handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany ; Area information corresponds to the status of 1953:

• (to the foothills of the Alps, large region 1st order)
  • (to the Northern Alpine Foreland, Greater Region 2nd order)
    • 04 Donau-Iller-Lech-Platte (8,325.6 km²)
      • 040 Donau-Ablach-Platten (939.6 km²)
      • 041 Riß-Aitrach-Platten (756.6 km²)
      • 042 hill country of the lower rift (465.6 km²)
      • 043 wooden sticks (381.9 km²)
      • 044 Lower Illertal (364.8 km²)
      • 045 Donauried (604.9 km²)
      • 046 Iller-Lech gravel plates (3344.9 km²)
      • 047 Lech-Wertach plains (1232.7 km²)
      • 048 Aindlinger terrace stairs (234.6 km²)

In the subsequent publications of the single sheets 1: 200,000 by the same institute, these main units are broken down into a large number of sub-units (decimal places).

Danube-Ablach plates

The Donau-Ablach-Platten (main unit 040) are located in Baden-Württemberg between the Danube at and above Riedlingen , Mühlingen , Pfullendorf , Ostrach , Bad Saulgau and the Federsee .

The gently undulating hill country is an old moraine landscape shaped by the glaciation of the Rhine glacier during the cracks and the Cold Age .

In the valleys there are decalcified, waterlogged parabrown soils that are mainly used for meadow and pasture farming. The open landscape in the valleys is in lively alternation with wooded (spruce forests) ridges. Arable farming is also possible on favorable soils.

The plates are composed by a fork-shaped Talung from the Riedlinger pool (040.0) between amounts and Ried Lingens and the opening out of the south-west, narrower Schwarzachtal the Schwarzach in Bad Saulgau divided into three segments, the largest by far the southwestern, straddling the Ablach is preferred .

The Riedlinger basin ends to the northeast in a narrow opening through the southernmost foothills of the Alb . Here, the Danube valley floor is filled with gravel from the Rhine Glacier from the Worms Age.

The Federseer Ried (040.25, also: Federseebecken ) around the Federsee near Bad Buchau in the far east of the main unit occupies a special position . It is a former tongue basin of the Rift Ice Age with the extensive silting areas . In the south the silting areas merge into a young moraine . In some of the silted areas, extensive pasture farming is practiced; in the transition area between the silted areas and the young moraine, the reed and wet vegetation changes into coniferous forest. Since the lake was partially filled with sea clays and gravel, the natural reservoir used to be much larger.

Riss-Aitrach plates

The Riß-Aitrach-Platten (main unit 041), located entirely in Baden-Württemberg, extend to the west to a line Schemmerhofen - Federsee - Bad Waldsee , the northern border runs from Schemmerhofen to Ochsenhausen . The eastern border follows a line Ochsenhausen - Aitrach - Legau , the southern border runs from Bad Waldsee to Leutkirch im Allgäu . The highest point is the Wachbühl (793 m) in the south; a partial landscape known by name is the high ground (678 m) in the west.

The slightly undulating landscape is an end or ground moraine landscape from the Rift Ice Age.

In the north-western part through which the Riss flows, arable farming, which is favored by the loess cover, determines the landscape; in moist valleys, grassland management predominates.

The south-eastern part, which extends beyond the Aitrach , is largely wet or boggy; Open country character with meadows and pastures dominates.

The Wurzacher Ried is also located in the Riß-Aitrach-Platten .

Hill country of the lower rift

The hill country of the Untere Riss (also: Flachland der Unteren Riss , main unit 042) comprises the area between the Danube from Munderkingen to immediately above Ulm in the north, to the east it nestles against the wooden sticks , in the western south it does not quite reach the B 312 . The eastern border is comparatively irregular.

It is mainly a Tertiary hill country, which along the lowlands of the Riss and Danube is interspersed with gravel terraces of different ages that were formed during the Rift Ice Age .

Due to loamy and fertile soils, agricultural use predominates; especially the eastern part is used very intensively for agriculture.

The edge valley of the Danube in the north branches off to the valley of the Riss coming from the southeast to the sub-natural area Niederungen (042.0). They form cleared basins of reed areas , whereby the crack valley is a little more boggy than the two basins forming the Danube valley.

The Rissal cuts the higher parts into an east wing ( old moraine area between Riß and Rottum , 041.2) around Laupheim and a west wing ( old moraine plates between Federseebecken and Rissal, 042.1). The west wing protrudes with an arched western foothill open to the south for buses to just before the Riedlinger basin. The south is less cut through by valleys than the north.

Wooden sticks

The wooden sticks (main unit 043) are located in the very east of Baden-Württemberg, between Senden , Aichstetten , Ochsenhausen and Laupheim .

The slightly hilly landscape is part of the glacial terraced landscape between Riss and Iller , directly framing the valley of the second river in the east. It is divided by numerous trough valleys and meltwater channels.

The soils of the largely open landscape are mostly covered with clay and loess and are used as grassland, sometimes also for arable farming. The higher parts are free of clay, decalcified and wooded (spruce forests). There is a close connection between open land and forest areas.

The wooden sticks are comparatively uncut and form a fairly homogeneous natural space.

Lower Illertal

The Lower Illertal (main unit 044), located in the western part in Baden-Württemberg and in the larger eastern part in Bavaria, extends along the valley of the Iller from Altusried and Dietmannsried to the confluence with the Danube in Neu-Ulm , with Memmingen being the central place.

The very flat landscape represents a wide valley that was filled with large amounts of gravel during and after the Ice Ages .

The north of the landscape is also used for arable farming, while grassland predominates in the south.

In the southern part, the Illertal valley, which is deepened to the tertiary base, crosses the young and old moraine deposits. Partly there is a continuous riparian forest belt, partly bog is still present.

Donauried

The Donauried (main unit 045) is a large low moor level on the Danube between Neu-Ulm in the west and Donauwörth in the east with Dillingen in the center. Most of it is in Bavaria, but a smaller part in the northwest is also in Baden-Württemberg.

The very flat undulating landscape is a Worm Ice Age, partly muddy gravel plain.

In terms of area, grassland use and arable farming predominate in the still natural reed areas. In the area of Donauried there are a striking number of lakes .

Iller-Lech gravel slabs

The Iller-Lech gravel plates (main unit 046) are located in the very west of Bavaria. Its north follows to the northeast roughly the border Neu-Ulm - Nersingen - Günzburg - Offingen - Holzheim - Wertingen - Mertingen , in the east the valleys of the (lower) Lech (with Augsburg ) and Wertach (to the south via Türkheim to Kaufbeuren ) borders .

The southern border of the main part runs from Kaufbeuren westwards to Obergünzburg , and then turns northwest to Memmingen , from where the border runs along the Iller valley northwards to Neu-Ulm .

Spatially separated from the main part there is an absolutely higher southeast part ( Denklinger Forst-Platten , 046.9) northwest of Schongau , from which a Riedel extends north to the Stoffersberg west of Landsberg .

Between the Iller and Lech, the landscape is chambered from west to east by the valleys of the Roth , Mindel , Günz , Zusam and Schmutter rivers, which also drain to the north , in flat, undulating Riedel and gravel slabs. Gravel is mined in the Mindel and Günztal valleys, and the fens were largely drained. The north-eastern part is subdivided by Schmutter and Zusam in particular into flat, undulating plates and Riedel, whereby bog areas in the valley floors of the partly asymmetrical valleys are not uncommon

The spatially separated southeast part is characterized in the north by the high terrace gravel of the Lech, in the south by rift-era moraine material that covers the tertiary base.

The ballast is partly covered by loess . The Riedel are covered with forest (especially spruce forests), the river valleys are primarily used for arable farming in the north and more for grassland in the south.

In the northeast part there is a relatively high proportion of forest and grassland ( higher on the perennial plate than in the northern part of the Zusamplatten and Stauffenberg area). Spruce forests dominate the forests.

The northeast, east of the Mindel valley, is divided into the Zusamplatte and Stauffenberg area (originally only: Zusamplatte , 046.6, north) and Staudenplatte (046.7, to the south, to the right of the upper Zusam or the middle Schmutter), around whose area the Augsburg Nature Park - Oriented towards western forests . The area around the Stauffersberg and the open space of the Dinkelscherben basin (046.63) near Dinkelscherben , which was created by a relief reversal in the area of ​​an old watershed, lies between the Zusamplatte in the narrower sense (in the extreme north) and the perennial plate .

Staufenberg area (Beaver Ice Age), Zusamplatte (Günze Ice Age) and Staudenplatte (Danube Ice Age) are differentiated from one another in geological terms as the oldest or Old Pleistocene camps of fluvioglacial gravel.

The spatially separated south-east part ( Denklinger Forst-Platten , 046.9) houses a pure forest landscape (especially spruce forests).

Lech-Wertach level

The Lech-Wertach plain (main unit 047) is a lowland landscape in the far west of Bavaria around the Lech and its left (western) tributary Wertach , which also includes the Lechfeld lying in between .

The Lech Valley from north of Schongau via Augsburg to the confluence with the Danube forms the eastern frame of the Lech-Wertach plain . North of Augsburg, the valley of the lower Schmutter , which runs parallel to the west, is also part of the natural area, to the southwest of the city the border follows the Wertach upstream via Bobingen to immediately north of Kaufbeuren . Between Kaufbeuren and Schongau, the landscape is interrupted by the northward ridge of the Denklinger Forst-Platten , which represent a spatially separated extension of the Iller-Lech gravel slabs (main unit 046).

The low-terrace landscape between the Wertach in the southwest and the central Lech in the east is structured by the Gennach and Singold . The meadows and low terraces are partially peaty.

From Klosterlechfeld , extensive post-glacial gravel is deposited on the Lech. From Augsburg, the river forms a wide box valley with gravel terraces of different ages; the step between the lower terraces and the loess-covered high terraces is 8 to 10 meters high.

The high terraces were used intensively for agriculture, with grassland predominating in the south, while arable farming increases significantly towards the north. Burns are covered by pine forests.

There is an almost closed alluvial forest along the Lech. The lower terraces are partly overgrown by the heather characteristic of the area with limestone grasslands and litter meadow plant communities.

Aindlinger terrace stairs

The Aindlinger Terrassentreppe (main unit 048), located entirely in Bavaria, extends to the west through the Lech Valley from north of Augsburg to the confluence with the Danube and to the north by the Danube, from Aindling to the northeast. Its eastern border with the Danube-Isar hill country in the extreme northwest of the Lower Bavarian hill country runs parallel to State Road 2035 (Augsburg-Pöttmes-Neuburg an der Donau).

The hilly, high gravel slab rising to the east is structured by deeply cut, mostly asymmetrical stream valleys.

The floors are covered with a thick layer of loess. The valley floors are used as grassland, otherwise arable farming predominates.

Eastern continuation

The Isar-Inn-Schotterplatten are continued to the east by the greater region of Isar-Inn-Schotterplatten (group 05), which, however, are significantly narrower in the north-south direction. Immediately to the east of the Lech between Reichling and Merching , the arch of the old moraine, open to the south, of the Fürstenfeldbruck hill country with the Landsberger Platten in the west extends around the Ammer-Loisach hill country .

The north east of the Isar-Inn gravel plates, however, merges into the Lower Bavarian hill country (06), which is clearly differentiated in relief .

Landscape profiles of the BfN

The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has summarized the detailed structure of the Institute for Regional Studies in Germany again according to criteria that are not precisely natural in nature, with between one and five landscape profiles being drawn up for a main unit, depending on the complexity . These served primarily to take stock of protected areas and land use. The boundaries are partly natural, partly they are drawn according to other criteria. In particular, the conurbations - in the present case Ulm and Augsburg - are shown separately and are not included in the natural area in the area data.

The following landscape profiles exist in the Danube-Iller-Lech-Platte area:

• Danube valley between Mengen and Ulm Lower Risstal (208 km²)
  • → 040.0, 040.23; Breakthrough valley through 040.20, 095.24 and 042.12; 042.0
• Donau-Ablach-Platten (811 km²; three-part)
  • → 040 without lowlands,
• Western Riss-Aitrach plates (289 km²)
  • → Northwest part of 041
• Eastern Riss-Aitrach plates (468 km²)
  • → Southeast part of 041 from Eberhardzell
• Western flat land of the lower rift (162 km²)
  • → 042.1, south edge of 095.24
• Eastern plains of the lower rift (106 km²)
  • → 042.2
• Wooden sticks (412 km²)
  • → 043
• Lower fields of the Lower Illertal (245 km²)
  • → North from 044 onwards and including Memmingen
• Higher fields of the Lower Illertal (191 km²)
  • → south of 044
• Donauried (613 km²)
  • → 045 without Ulm
• Ulm (with Neu-Ulm; 62 km²)
  • → extreme west from 045, east from 095.10
• Lower Iller-Lech gravel plates (1179 km²)
  • → North of 046 (without 046.6 / 7/8)
• Upper Iller-Lech gravel plates (751 km²), reaching north in Riedeln to east of Babenhausen
  • → South of 046 (without 046.6 / 7/8)
• Zusamplatten and Staufenberg area (785 km²)
  • → 046.6
• Perennial plate (363 km²)
  • → 046.7
• Sachsenrieder and Denklinger Rotwald (82 km²)
  • → around 046.9, but without a ridge to the Stoffersberg
• Lower Lech-Wertach plain (145 km²)
  • → Northern part of 047.1 / 2 without Augsburg
• Upper Lech-Wertach plain (438 km²)
  • → Southern part from 047.1 / 2, reaching north in the central terrace to Schwabmünchen
• Lechtal (618 km²)
  • → 047.0 / 3 without Augsburg
• Augsburg (232 km²)
  • → Aindlinger terrace stairs (252 km²)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Emil Meynen , Josef Schmithüsen et al .: Handbook of the natural spatial structure of Germany . Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Remagen / Bad Godesberg 1953–1962 (9 deliveries in 8 books, updated map 1: 1,000,000 with main units 1960).
2. ↑ Kutt Schrem: Pfullendorff, an imperial place in Upper Swabia . Ed .: Society of Upper Swabia for History and Culture eV Tettnang 2004.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Hansjörg Dongus: Geographical Land Survey: The natural spatial units on sheet 171 Göppingen. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1961. → Online map (PDF; 4.3 MB)
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Ralph Jätzold: Geographical land survey: The natural spatial units on sheet 172 Nördlingen. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1962. → Online map (PDF; 3.9 MB)
5. ^ ^{A b} Friedrich Huttenlocher: Geographical land survey: The natural space units on sheet 178 Sigmaringen. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1959. → Online map (PDF; 4.3 MB)
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Hans Graul: Geographical land survey: The natural space units on sheet 179 Ulm. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1952. → Online map (PDF; 4.8 MB)
7. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Hans Graul: Geographical land survey: The natural space units on sheet 180 Augsburg. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1962. → Online map (PDF; 4.1 MB)
8. ^ ^{A b} Alfred G. Benzing: Geographical Land Survey: The natural space units on sheet 186 Konstanz. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1964. → Online map (PDF; 4.1 MB)
9. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Hansjörg Dongus: Geographical land survey: The natural spatial units on sheet 187/193 Lindau / Oberstdorf. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1991. → Online map (PDF; 6.1 MB)
10. ^ ^{A b} Hansjörg Dongus: Geographical land survey: The natural space units on sheet 188/194 Kaufbeuren / Mittenwald. Federal Institute for Regional Studies, Bad Godesberg 1993. → Online map (PDF; 6.4 MB)
11. ↑ Danube-Ablach-Platten natural area profile (040) - LUBW (PDF; 9.7 MB; information )
12. ↑ Natural area profile Riß-Aitrach-Platten (041) - LUBW (PDF; 7.7 MB; notes )
13. ↑ Natural area profile flat land of the Untere Riss (042) - LUBW (PDF; 7.9 MB; information )
14. ↑ Natural area profile wood sticks (043) - LUBW (PDF; 6.7 MB; notes )
15. ↑ Natural area profile Unteres Illertal (044) - LUBW (PDF; 5.9 MB; information )
16. ↑ Donauried natural area profile (045) - LUBW (PDF; 5.1 MB; notes )
17. ↑ First indications of a Pliocene Danube in the eastern Iller-Lech-Platte (Bavarian Swabia) ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Lorenz Scheuenpflug (PDF; 1.9 MB) 
18. ↑ Landscape profiles of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information )

Web links

• Landscape profiles of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information ); all four-digit profile numbers beginning with 4 are relevant.
• Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information ); Map service landscapes
• BayernAtlas of the Bavarian State Government ( information )