Stop 15 at Ries

Where am I on the tour map?

This retired quarry is situated within a huge block of Malm limestone, about 500 meters across, which lies within the Bunte Breccia. This block was thrown out from the crater and incorporated into the Bunte Breccia during the formation of the Ries impact structure. Imagine the amount of energy required to do this!

If we take a closer look at the limestone in this quarry, we see that it is almost completely fractured. No wonder, given that it was thrown several kilometers away by the impact event! The German scientists who first studied it called this highly fractured limestone "gries". Given that this limestone is completely fractured, what do you think it could be used for?

Answer: Unlike the limestone at Gundelsheim (stop 10), which is used for building material, this fractured limestone is used as aggregate to make the roads in this region.

  STOP  14  |  STOP  16