Cyclops stones

Cyclops stones (postcard from 1913)

Cyclops stones in the Aachen forest

The Cyclops stones ( Dutch : Cycloopstenen ) are a geological natural monument consisting of around 50 stone blocks in the south of the Aachen Forest . They are spread over an area of ​​approximately one hectare .

description

The blocks of different sizes consist mostly of silicified sand . The natural monument is mostly located just a few meters south of the border between Germany and Belgium in the Belgian municipality of Raeren and is divided by the Aachener Landgraben . However, some of the Cyclops stones can be found on German soil.

The starting material for the formation of the Cyclops stones was unconsolidated Upper Cretaceous sand, the so-called Aachen sand , which is widespread in the Aachen forest and used to be found in numerous sand pits, e.g. B. the sand pit Flög in Hauset , was dismantled. The Aachen sand was deposited in the santonium in the area of ​​a shallow sea 85 to 84 million years ago. The tropical climatic conditions during the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary Period led to a near-surface solution of quartz from the Cretaceous sands due to the ingress of rainwater . In the deeper layers of the soil, the solutions containing silicic acid were precipitated again under special chemical ambient conditions and then led to partial silicification of the sand deposits. Such formations are known as tertiary quartzites and are quite widespread on the high altitudes of the European low mountain ranges. The unconsolidated areas of the Aachen sands have been removed by erosion , so that the Cyclops stones are now relics on the surface.

Earlier theories of origin assumed that the Cyclops stones originally were in a higher morphological position. During the Ice Age , the stones should have slipped to their current position. This theory is now considered refuted.

The Göhl river rises within the area of ​​distribution of the Cyclops stones .

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Web links

Commons : Cyclops stones  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Cyclops stones on Mineralienatlas.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Natural monuments in the Aachen region at: aachen.de (2018-05-05).
2. ^ Manfred Vigener: Schneeberg and Cyclops stones - A geological travel guide . Grenz-Echo Verlag, ISBN 90-5433-167-4 .
3. ^ Roland Walter: Aachen and the northern area . Gebr. Borntraeger, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-443-15087-7 . (= Collection of Geological Guides, Volume 101)
4. ↑ The Cyclops in the Aachen Forest. on: mineralatlas.de

Coordinates: 50 ° 43 ′ 15 ″  N , 6 ° 5 ′ 46.1 ″  E