Block scree slopes at Lake Edersee named geotope of the year
There is a new Geotope of the Year in the GrenzWelten National Geopark: the Blockschutthalden at Lake Edersee. For 2025, they join the ranks of the special geological objects that have been honoured with the title by an expert jury since 2017. The boulder scree slopes stood out so much from the numerous proposals for Geotope of the Year that it was no question for GrenzWelten, in cooperation with the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park and the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park, to choose them.
On Geotope Day, which this year takes place on 21 September, the Geotope of the Year will once again receive special attention. The Geopark, Kellerwald-Edersee National Park and Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park are planning further activities centred around the boulder dumps for this Sunday. For example, those interested can take part in a guided hike or marvel at a newly installed information board on a particularly impressive boulder dump. On Geotope Day, the special features and significance of the geotope of the year are to be honoured; the interested public is thus sensitised to the protection and preservation of these unique habitats.
Background "Blockschutthalden am Edersee"
The blockschutthalden of Lake Edersee are a relic from the time of the mammoths and Neanderthals. They were formed in the periglacial climate of the last ice age, a time with a completely different climate to the one we know in our region today. In the periglacial climate, physical or mechanical weathering prevails. Frost blasting causes rocks to disintegrate into blocks, which are then displaced on the slope by falling, sliding and flowing processes and form heaps over time. The fine-grained material was usually washed out between the blocks or blown out by the wind. These heaps are constantly in motion, albeit slowly, and do not usually form soil. They are also exposed to heat, cold and drought. The boulder dumps around Lake Edersee are not only geological features that bear witness to the last ice age. They also form unique habitats for rare animals and plants. Heat-loving lichen and insect species in particular appreciate the sunny, dry sides of the rock and boulder meadows. In addition to the steppe grasshopper, other specialists such as the smooth snake, sand lizard, rare spider species and even the peony carnation, an Ice Age relict, can also be found here. The shady rocky slopes and boulder slopes with their high humidity and cool microclimate, on the other hand, form an ideal habitat for mosses and ferns.
Caption: Part of the Geotope of the Year 2025: the boulder dump on the Daudenberg near Bringhausen. (Photo: Achim Frede)
Keywords:
Geopark GrenzWelten Environmental and Climate Protection Service