The Rhenish Massif,[1]Rhine Massif[2] or Rhenish Uplands[3] (German: Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, pronounced[ˈʁaɪnɪʃəsˈʃiːfɐɡəˌbɪʁɡə]ⓘ: 'Rhenish Slate Uplands') is a geologic massif in western Germany, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg and northeastern France. It is drained centrally, south to north by the river Rhine and a few of its tributaries.
Satellite image with outlines (grey-drawn outline) of the Rhenish Slate Mountains (green trees). Above left the mouth of the Rhine into the North Sea.
West of the indent of the Cologne Bight it has the Eifel and the Belgian and French Ardennes; east is its greatest German component, the Süder Uplands. The Hunsrück hills form its southwest. The Westerwald is an eastern strip. The Lahn-Dill area is a small central zone and the Taunus Mountains form the rest, the south-east.
Most rocks in the Rhenish Massif were originally sediments, mostly deposited during the Devonian and Carboniferous in a back-arc basin called the Rhenohercynian basin. In some places in the Ardennes, even older rocks of Cambrian to Silurian age crop out as massifs overlain by Devonian slates. These older rocks form smaller massifs of their own (Stavelot, Rocroi, Givonne and Serpont). In the eastern Rhenish Massif some very limited outcrops in the Sauerland show rocks of Ordovician and lower Siliurian age. Further Ordovician rock exposures are part of the southern Taunus.
The second rock type are Tertiary and Quaternaryigneous rocks, which most prominently occur in the Vulkaneifel, the Westerwald and the Vogelsberg. The volcanic rocks have been linked to a mantle plume that, due to its low density and buoyancy, uplifted the entire region during the last few hundred thousand years, as measured from the present elevation of old river terraces.[4]
Mountain and hill rangesEdit
The mountain and hill ranges within the Rhenish Massif - some with maximum height in metres above sea level (NN)) are given below:
^Dickinson, Robert E (1964). Germany: A regional and economic geography (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, pp. 428-459. ASIN B000IOFSEQ.
^Elkins, T H (1972). Germany (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972, pp. 226-236. ASIN B0011Z9KJA.
^Garcia-Castellanos, D., S.A.P.L. Cloetingh & R.T. van Balen, 2000. Modeling the middle Pleistocene uplift in the Ardennes-Rhenish Massif: Thermo-mechanical weakening under the Eifel? Global Planet. Change 27, 39-52, doi:10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00058-3
LiteratureEdit
d´Hein: Nationaler Geopark Vulkanland Eifel. Ein Natur- und Kulturführer. Gaasterland Verlag Düsseldorf 2006, ISBN3-935873-15-8.
Fliegel, D.: Ein geologisches Profil durch das Rheinische Schiefergebirge. Cöln, 1909. Online-Ausgabe dilibri Rheinland-Pfalz.
von Winterfeld, Claus; Bayer, Ulf; Oncken, Onno; Lünenschloß, Brita; Springer, Jörn (1994): Das westliche Rheinische Schiefergebirge. Geowissenschaften; 12; 320-324, doi:10.2312/GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN.1994.12.320.
Meyer, W.: Geologie der Eifel, Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1986. ISBN3-510-65127-8.
Schmidt, E. et al.: Deutschland. Harms Handbuch der Geographie. Paul List Verlag KG, 26th edn., Munich, 1975. ISBN3-471-18803-7.
Thews, J.-D.: Erläuterungen zur Geologischen Übersichtskarte von Hessen 1:300.000, Geol. Abhandlungen Hessen Bd. 96, Hess. L.-A. für Bodenforschung, Wiesbaden, 1996. ISBN3-89531-800-0.
Vogel, Andreas, Hubert Miller and Reinhard Greiling, The Rhenish Massif: Structure, Evolution, Mineral Deposits and Present Geodynamics. Wiesbaden: Springer, 1987. ISBN978-3-663-01888-9.
Walter, R. et al.: Geologie von Mitteleuropa. 5th edition, Schweizerbarth’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 1992. ISBN3-510-65149-9 (German).
rhenish, massif, rhine, massif, rhenish, uplands, german, rheinisches, schiefergebirge, pronounced, ˈʁaɪnɪʃəs, ˈʃiːfɐɡəˌbɪʁɡə, rhenish, slate, uplands, geologic, massif, western, germany, eastern, belgium, luxembourg, northeastern, france, drained, centrally, . The Rhenish Massif 1 Rhine Massif 2 or Rhenish Uplands 3 German Rheinisches Schiefergebirge pronounced ˈʁaɪnɪʃes ˈʃiːfɐɡeˌbɪʁɡe Rhenish Slate Uplands is a geologic massif in western Germany eastern Belgium Luxembourg and northeastern France It is drained centrally south to north by the river Rhine and a few of its tributaries Rhenish MassifHighest pointPeakGrosser FeldbergElevation2 881 ft 878 m GeographyCountriesGermany Belgium Luxembourg and FranceStatesNorth Rhine Westphalia Rhineland Palatinate and HesseParent rangeCentral UplandsGeologyOrogenyVariscan Hercynian Age of rockDevonian and CarboniferousType of rockmetamorphic rockSatellite image with outlines grey drawn outline of the Rhenish Slate Mountains green trees Above left the mouth of the Rhine into the North Sea West of the indent of the Cologne Bight it has the Eifel and the Belgian and French Ardennes east is its greatest German component the Suder Uplands The Hunsruck hills form its southwest The Westerwald is an eastern strip The Lahn Dill area is a small central zone and the Taunus Mountains form the rest the south east The massif hosts the Middle Rhine Valley Rhine Gorge a UNESCO World Heritage site linked to the lowest parts of the Moselle German Mosel Luxembourgish Musel Contents 1 Geology 2 Mountain and hill ranges 3 References 4 LiteratureGeology Edit nbsp Geological sketch of the Rhenish MassifGeologically the Rhenish Massif consists of metamorphic rocks mostly slates hence its German name deformed and metamorphosed during the Hercynian orogeny around 300 million years ago Most of the massif is part of the Rhenohercynian zone of this orogeny that also encompasses the Harz further east and Devonian rocks of Cornwall southwestern England Most rocks in the Rhenish Massif were originally sediments mostly deposited during the Devonian and Carboniferous in a back arc basin called the Rhenohercynian basin In some places in the Ardennes even older rocks of Cambrian to Silurian age crop out as massifs overlain by Devonian slates These older rocks form smaller massifs of their own Stavelot Rocroi Givonne and Serpont In the eastern Rhenish Massif some very limited outcrops in the Sauerland show rocks of Ordovician and lower Siliurian age Further Ordovician rock exposures are part of the southern Taunus The second rock type are Tertiary and Quaternary igneous rocks which most prominently occur in the Vulkaneifel the Westerwald and the Vogelsberg The volcanic rocks have been linked to a mantle plume that due to its low density and buoyancy uplifted the entire region during the last few hundred thousand years as measured from the present elevation of old river terraces 4 Mountain and hill ranges EditThe mountain and hill ranges within the Rhenish Massif some with maximum height in metres above sea level NN are given below West of the Rhine from north west to south east Ardennes 694 m Eifel 747 m 27 28 subdivisions include High Eifel Vulkan Eifel Ahr Hills Zitter Forest Fore Eifel Moselle Eifel South Eifel West Eifel Islek Schnee Eifel Schneifel Belgian Eifel Rur Eifel High Fens Hunsruck 816 m 24 subdivisions include Bingen Forest Idar Forest Lutzelsoon Osburger Hochwald Schwarzwalder Hochwald Soonwald East of the Rhine from north west to south east Suder Uplands 843 2 m 33 Ardey Hills 274 m Iserlohn Heights 546 m Plackwald 581 5 m Arnsberg Forest Nature Park Bergish Plateaux Ebbe Mountains 663 3 m Lenne Mountains 656 1 m Saalhausen Hills 687 7 m Siegerland Rothaar Mountains incl Hochsauerland 843 2 m Kellerwald 675 m eastern outliers in the West Hesse Highlands 344 Westerwald 657 m 32 Siebengebirge 460 m zum Middle Rhine region 292 4 Montabaur Heights 545 m Gladenbach Uplands 609 m Taunus 881 5 m 30 subdivisions include Anterior Taunus High Taunus Hintertaunus Western Hintertaunus Idstein Basin Eastern HintertaunusReferences Edit Vogel Miller and Greiling 1987 Dickinson Robert E 1964 Germany A regional and economic geography 2nd ed London Methuen pp 428 459 ASIN B000IOFSEQ Elkins T H 1972 Germany 3rd ed London Chatto amp Windus 1972 pp 226 236 ASIN B0011Z9KJA Garcia Castellanos D S A P L Cloetingh amp R T van Balen 2000 Modeling the middle Pleistocene uplift in the Ardennes Rhenish Massif Thermo mechanical weakening under the Eifel Global Planet Change 27 39 52 doi 10 1016 S0921 8181 01 00058 3Literature Editd Hein Nationaler Geopark Vulkanland Eifel Ein Natur und Kulturfuhrer Gaasterland Verlag Dusseldorf 2006 ISBN 3 935873 15 8 Fliegel D Ein geologisches Profil durch das Rheinische Schiefergebirge Coln 1909 Online Ausgabe dilibri Rheinland Pfalz von Winterfeld Claus Bayer Ulf Oncken Onno Lunenschloss Brita Springer Jorn 1994 Das westliche Rheinische Schiefergebirge Geowissenschaften 12 320 324 doi 10 2312 GEOWISSENSCHAFTEN 1994 12 320 Meyer W Geologie der Eifel Schweizerbart sche Verlagsbuchhandlung Stuttgart 1986 ISBN 3 510 65127 8 Schmidt E et al Deutschland Harms Handbuch der Geographie Paul List Verlag KG 26th edn Munich 1975 ISBN 3 471 18803 7 Thews J D Erlauterungen zur Geologischen Ubersichtskarte von Hessen 1 300 000 Geol Abhandlungen Hessen Bd 96 Hess L A fur Bodenforschung Wiesbaden 1996 ISBN 3 89531 800 0 Vogel Andreas Hubert Miller and Reinhard Greiling The Rhenish Massif Structure Evolution Mineral Deposits and Present Geodynamics Wiesbaden Springer 1987 ISBN 978 3 663 01888 9 Walter R et al Geologie von Mitteleuropa 5th edition Schweizerbarth sche Verlagsbuchhandlung Stuttgart 1992 ISBN 3 510 65149 9 German 51 00 N 7 50 E 51 000 N 7 833 E 51 000 7 833 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rhenish Massif amp oldid 1120702872, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
