Geopark LM 3 Englisch 2007.indd - Geopark Harz

More documents

Recommendations

Info

3 ® Landmark 3 Rammelsberg
Classic Geological Square Mile The westerly North Harz Border is quite rightly known as the “Classic Geological Square Mile” because here a nearly complete sequence from the Palaeozoic up to the most recent sedimentations are revealed in close proximity. There is an almost entirely unbroken chain of evidence of nearly 400 million years of earth’s history - like nearly nowhere else in Middle Europe! The North Harz Border bears the imprint of a large tectonic fault line on the middle of which Goslar, too, lies. Through the reverse fault of the Harz over its foreland at the Harznordrand Thrust, the strata were shoved up vertically from their horizontal position for more than 4,000 m. Therefore along North Harz Geoprofile (according to Mohr) the Harz Border the lithologic sequence from the Mesozoic is accessible on the earth’s surface. So here rocks from Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk, Keuper, Jurassic as well as Upper and Lower Cretaceous occur; east of Bad Harzburg and west of Hahausen, Zechstein also shows outcrops. Most of the strata are rich in fossils and are or were exposed in numerous quarries, sand or clay pits. Many geological collections have specimens. Particularly worthy of mention are the collection in the Goslar Museum, which provides an excellent overall view of the geologic development of the North Harz, and the mineral collection in the World Cultural Heritage Rammelsberg with numerous specimens from the deposits of the Rammelsberg. Between Goslar and Bad Harzburg Devonian rocks butt the Mesozoic rocks of the Harz Border from the south. They form the broad structure of the Upper Harz Devonian Saddle, in the core of which Lower Devonian sandstones and quartzites occur (Kahleberg Sandstone). From the west the Goslar Trough joins in; the 1,000 m thick Middle Devonian shales with diabases bear witness of submarine volcanic activity. Between the saddle and the trough, fissures broke open, through which metallic solutions rose. They formed ore sludges on the ocean floor, which later solidified into the ores of the Rammelsberg. The residual pollution of land and ground water and other environmental problems resulting from mining and the concurrent smelting, as well as the unique heavy metal vegetation and numerous reclamation attempts, are displayed in an exemplary manner - one could therefore also speak of the “Classic Square Mile of Environmental Geology”.
Page 1 and 2: Selected Hotels 1 1 Ringhotel Golde
Page 3 and 4: shafts and boreholes for curative d
Page 5: and, before reaching the railway br
Page 9 and 10: World Cultural Heritage II Old Town
Page 11 and 12: Excursion to the east Sudmerberg an

Geopark LM 3 Englisch 2007.indd - Geopark Harz

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?