BGR Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe

Field trip to the region of Eastphalia

A region steeped in history, 100 kilometers East of Hannover

30.04.2015

Timetable for the field trip

Thursday, 7th May 2015
8:30 – 12:30Conference Programme
12:45Meet at Bus in front of BGR
13:00Departure from BGR
14:30Field trip point 1 “Schöningen lignite open cast mine”: Welcome and Introduction , meet Henning Zellmer, Geopark Harz
15:00Field trip point 2 “Excavation site Schöningen”: Schöningen Spears (Jordi Serangeli, head of Schöningen excavation site)
16:15Field trip point 3 “Paläon museum”: Exhibition of palaeolithic
18:00Field trip point 4 “Hötensleben”: German-German border monument
19:00Check-in at Burg Warberg
20:00Dinner and GIC Song Festival
Friday, 8th May 2015
7:00Early Bird’s Start to the airport by train (private transport to station)
7:45Meet at Bus – Introduction to the day (Kristine Asch/Henning Zellmer)
8:00Start by bus
8:30Field trip point 5 “Jerxheim, Heeseberg”: Triassic stromatolithes and oolithic rocks
10:30Field trip point 6 “Uhry sand extraction: Open cast mining of white quartz sands
11:30Field trip point 7 “Königslutter”: Imperial cathedral and FEMO Information Centre and Museum
12:30 Lunch at Italian Restaurant, Königslutter
13:30 Departure to the airport by bus
15:00 Arrival at Hannover airport
15:30Arrival at BGR, Hannover




Our field trip will be accompanied by English speaking guides and include the following highlights:

Geopark Harz, Braunschweiger Land, Eastphalia: Geological diversity from Palaeozoic rocks to the Ice Age
The Braunschweiger-Land / Eastphalia area offers for its part fossil-rich sediments of the Mesozoic and Neozoic eras. A unique landscape with numerous deposits (iron ore, brown coal, salt, oil) came about here as a result of the elevation of salt structures. The cultural history of the region with its renowned monuments, including the world cultural heritage city of Quedlinburg and the emperor’s cathedral in Koenigslutter, is closely linked to the geological characteristics of the landscape. In addition, the region offers important prehistorical finds, like the Neandertaler camps of Salzgitter and the “Unicorn Cave” near Herzberg as well as the “Schoeningen Spears”. The Harz Mountains are composed of Palaeozoic sediments and magmatic rocks. They have been extensively documented over the past 1,000 years in historical accounts of mining and research in the area, for example, the documentation of the world cultural heritage site Rammelsberg near Goslar.

Landscape EastphaliaLandscape Eastphalia Source: K.Asch

The Schöningen spears are 8 wooden spears from the Palaeolithic Age, that were found in the Schöningen open-cast lignite mine, together with approx. 16.000 animal bones more than 300.000 years old. They are the oldest completely preserved hunting weapons in the world and they are regarded as the first evidence of the active hunt by Homo heidelbergensis. These discoveries have permanently changed the picture of the cultural and social development of early humans. The Schöningen spears can be visited in the "palaeon", an impressive exhibition and research centre located directly close to the origianl finding place. It is closely situated (2 Km) to the East-West Germany Border memorial Hötensleben where the original border wall, watchtowers, fences and other installations have been preserved.

The Schöningen open-cast lignite mine, where the Schöningen spears have been found. The open-cast lignite mine is still excavated but will be closed in 2017.

Open-cast lignite mineOpen-cast lignite mine Source: K.Asch

Königslutter, located on the trade route from Brunswick to Magdeburg (the present-day Bundesstraße 1), beer brewing and Elm limestone mining and cutting were its main industries in early modern times, while the monastery developed as a pilgrimage destination. The famous imperial cathedral was founded in 1135 and is known for its sculptural art and majestic beauty of Romanesque architecture. The FEMO museum, an UNESCO geopark information centre, exhibits fascinating samples of the history of the Earth that have been found in the region (ichthyosaurus sceletons, a nothosaurus reconstruction, "living" fossils, landscape reconstructions etc).
Accommodation in Burg Warberg, a hotel located within the site of an 800-year-old castle in Warberg, scenig Lower Saxony countryside.

Burg Warberg CastleBurg Warberg Castle Source: K.Asch

Excursion Overview MapExcursion Overview Map Source: BGR, QGIS 2.4, OpenStreetMap


Friday afternoon, 8th May: Transport back to Hannover, End of conference at 15:00

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