Bothkamper See

Many lakes in the hilly Quaternary moraine area of Schleswig-Holstein demonstrate the landscape shaping influence of dead ice.

Photo: H. Weinhold, Geological Survey of Schleswig-Holstein.

Heukenlock

Tidal flat (100 ha) on the northern
bank of the Süderelbe river, Hamburg.

Photo: Geological Survey of Hamburg.

Externsteine

These about 38 m high rock pillars are located in the Teutoburger Wald, North Rhine - Westfalia. They consist
of vertically dipping Lower Cretaceous sandstone (Osning Sandstone), which was folded and thrusted about 65 million years ago.

Photo: Geological Survey of North Rhine - Westfalia.

Wasserkuppe

The Wasserkuppe ("water knoll") is the highest mountain of Hesse, reaching an elevation of 950 m above sea level. It is composed of mafic Tertiary volcanics and part of the Rhön volcanic field. Gliders and other aviators have been using the mountain for its excellent thermic conditions since 1910.

Photo: K.-H. Ehrenberg, Geological Survey of Hesse.

Rotenfels

The "Rotenfels" is the highest cliff wall in Germany north of the Alps, consisting of Permian rhyolite. It is located near Bad Münster am Stein (Rhineland - Palatinate), an area
well known for winegrowing.

Photo: M. Greller, Geological Survey of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Steinheimer Becken

The Steinheim Basin is a Tertiary meteorite crater. An asteroid crashed into the Swabian hills about 15 million years ago. The crater can be seen, rimmed by forest, with the village of Steinheim (Baden-Wurttemberg) in the background. The central uplift formed by the impact is the forest covered Klosterberg immediately in front of Steinheim.

Photo: E. Stabenow, Geological Survey of Baden-Wurttemberg.

Rügener Kreidefelsen (Chalk cliff)

Active cliff on the Baltic Sea shore on Rügen Island, 1 km North of Sassnitz, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. White Lower Maastrichtian chalk and brown Pleistocene strata are folded and faulted due to polyphase glacial deformation.

Photo: W. Schulz, Geological Survey of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

Low mountain scenery between Springe
and Bad Nenndorf, Lower Saxony

View onto a landscape composed of Süntel limestone
and marl rocks of the Upper Jurassic stage.

Photo: Andrea Weitze, BGR.

Kleiner Markgrafenstein

Erratic block in a glacial compression zone of
the Saale stage, SW of Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg.

Photo: Wolfgang Bartmann, Geological Survey of Brandenburg.

Ziegenrück Anticline

This classic outcrop of the Saxothuringian fold and thrust belt, near the town center of Ziegenrück (Thuringia), shows a SE vergent anticline (view to the NE). It consists of Lower Carboniferous turbidites deposited and folded during
the Variscan orogeny.

Photo: Frauke Schäfer, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).

Hirtstein

The Hirtstein quarry displays a beautiful fan of columnar basalt of Tertiary age. The highlands in the background belong to the Paleozoic Erzgebirge, showing its typical flat topped topography. The Erzgebirge basement has been pushed up along deep seated Tertiary faults which also formed the pathways for the basalts.

Photo: Christoph Starke, Geological Survey of Saxony.

Rock tower Tüchersfeld

The geosite made of Jurassic rocks overlooks the small village of Tüchersfeld. It was formed in-situ by weathering and erosion.

Photo: Geological Survey of Bavaria.