Shift levels on the Schwanberg
The strata on the Schwanberg are a clearly visible geological stratified landscape near Iphofen in the Kitzingen district in Lower Franconia , Bavaria .
location
The strata are located about 1.6 km northeast of Iphofen, on the southern slope of the 474 meter high Schwanberg .
description
With a striking rise in terrain, the Schwanberg stands out from the flat, undulating western foreland of the Steigerwald . On its southern slope, a Keuper stratum consisting of several smaller stages has developed. Typical for such Keup layers is the alternation of rocks that are differently weather-resistant . The most striking steep steps and leveling areas form the bubble sandstone on the summit plateau and the leveling of the weather-resistant reed sandstone halfway up the slope with forest . The name Schilfsandstein goes on the contained fossil horsetail back -Gewächse that used to be for Reed remains held. This rock used to be mined here in a quarry . Acid, nutrient-poor and dry soils that are unsuitable for agricultural use developed on sandstone reeds.
A little below the highest vineyard path, the transition from the reed sandstone to the softer, gypsum-bearing claystones of the Estheria layers below can be seen. These are named after the shell crab Estheria it contains . Together with the underlying clayey and gypsum-bearing myophoric layers , they form soft, nutrient-rich and water-impermeable soils. Such soils are ideal for local viticulture .
There are less clear steps in the lower slope area. They are caused by galena and Acrodus-Corbula layers .
The area has been designated as a geotope (675A001) by the Bavarian State Office for the Environment and classified as valuable. In 2007 it was included in the list of the 100 most beautiful geotopes in Bavaria and is also part of the Steigerwald landscape protection area (LSG-00569.01, WDPA: 396119), FFH area Vorderer Steigerwald with Schwanberg (6327-371, WDPA: 555521463) and the southern Steigerwald bird protection area ( 327-471, WDPA: 555537762).
Emergence
The reason for this distinctive terrain is the different weathering resistance of the rocks. In the time of the Keuper about 230 to 200 million years ago, what is now southern Germany lay on the edge of a shallow sea. Here clays and sands settled alternately. The coastline of the sea was constantly shifting. At times the basin was cut off from the sea and subsequently dried up. Gypsum and rock salt deposits formed through evaporation of the sea water . Many of these rocks are very susceptible to weathering. They give the Keuper its name. As Keuper or tipper is called soft in the Franconia and crumbly disintegrating layers. The extensive layers of the Triassic and Jurassic periods , which occupy large parts of northern Bavaria, were subsequently raised, tilted and in some cases removed again in northwestern Bavaria due to tectonic movements in the earth's crust. That is why the oldest sedimentary rocks come to light here. The younger ones can be found further south and east. The interplay of uplift, weathering and erosion caused this layered landscape to emerge over the course of millions of years. Hard limestone and sandstone form steep steps, while soft clay and gypsum stones form flatter slopes.
Access
The geotope is well developed and easily accessible. There is a parking lot about 300 meters to the west. At the geotope there are information boards, a rest area and a viewpoint over the flat foreland.
literature
- Bavarian State Office for the Environment (ed.): Geotopes in Lower Franconia (= geological contributions to nature conservation, Volume 8) . Augsburg 2013.
Web links
- LfU: Shift levels at Schwanberg (accessed December 5, 2015)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Geotope: Gipskeuper am Schwanberg NE von Iphofen (accessed on December 5, 2015)
- ↑ Press release: Geo seal of approval for the Schwanberg in the Steigerwald (accessed on December 5, 2015)
Coordinates: 49 ° 42 ′ 51.5 ″ N , 10 ° 16 ′ 26 ″ E