Way through Trass Caves
During the eruption of the vulcano Laacher See, total of about 16 cubic kilometers of magma were ejected.. Have amounted to the height of the eruption column has up to 40 km. The hot gas column sparked violent thunderstorms during the eruption, which were connected with heavy rain. A mixture of water, mud, pumice and ash deposited itself into the side valleys. This mud solidified, and from this emerged the so-called Trass.
In Brohltal, approximately eight kilometers north-northeast of Laacher See, there is a greater mass Trass. It is a very soft rock, from which can be easily resolved even with the fingers plays, and yet so firmly that it can exist in several dug, human high tunnel permanently without further support. This is called Tuff, a volcanic fragmentary, which only secondarily was solidified. In its existence, it is almost unique.
Originally it was true chemically as genetically identical to the pumice, which is often found in the neighborhood as a volcanic product. It was the genesis of other rocks formed out of a difference between the two rocks. The externally observable difference is Trass, unlike pumice, massive and unstratified. Because of its porosity, the Trass is very easy.
The spatial distribution of present-day occurrence suggests that the Trass has been partially excavated here. The nearby Laacher pumice, genetically closely related to the Trass provided in the sixties of our century, some two thirds of the building material for the whole of Germany. And the Trass was used extensively. First use of tracks are shown to or from the Roman period, but were being cut out of the soft material bricks, which were then installed in houses. Already at that time - and long afterwards, until about the second world war - the Trass was used as mortar. If it is crushed and mixed with water and lime, then the mixture is drying out at a very hard, building suitable mass. Few rocks have such properties, and the close relatives of Laacher pumice, does not fulfill this function. The romantic caves are generally not recoverable rests of Trass. In the caves, the "Aken" (pieces of Trass) were dried and grounded fine in Trassmühlen (Trass mills). Already in the 15th Century were delivered great amount of Trass to the Netherlands for the dike construction.
There also starts the way through the Trass Caves.
(Task 1:) At the entrance of the 1st cave, take a photo of you. It would be nice, if you attach the photo to your log. (optional)
Please follow the sign "Trasshöhlenweg". Go into the first cave til the end, then turn to your left After a short walk, to the coordinate N50° 27.375 E007° 17.745, you arrive at more caves.
Task 2: |
Evaluate the lenght of that cave beginning at the entrance until the exit. |
Task 3: |
Pace the width of the cave out. (In the picture above, from the position of the photographer until the end of the slightly right outgoing corridor). |
Task 4: |
Estimate the hight of the cave.. |
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You can log directly, I will contact you if the answers are not correct.
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