Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America

Field Trip E19a
Geo-Education and Geopark Implementation in the Vulkaneifel European Geopark/Vulkanland Eifel National Geopark
Departure: Thursday, September 1, 15:00, Koblenz main train station (Hauptbahnhof). The station is well-connected and
allows easy travel directly to/from Munich or Frankfurt airport.
Return Sunday, September 4, ~9:00
Cost: € 437; Maximum: 30 participants
Included: Lodging and breakfast, lunch, entrance fees
Not Included: Dinner
Difficulty: Bergwanderung leicht / easy mountain hike
USA class 1
Leaders Peter Bitschene, TW Gerolsteiner Land GmbH
Andreas Schüller, Vulkaneifel Natur- und Geopark GmbH
Description
After arriving in the Vulkaneifel the initial site of the Vulkaneifel Geopark will be visited, i. e. Gerolstein Recreational Park with
its 3 geosites “Helenenquelle” (Gerolsteiner Mineral Water), “Sidinger Drees” (Celtic and Roman worshipping of mineral water),
and “Sarresdorfer Lava Flow” (youngest lava flow in Germany).
The second day will bring the intraplate Eifel volcanism into focus. A visit to the Rockeskyller Kopf Volcanic Complex shows the
deposits of a typical eruption sequence of an alkali basaltic Eifel volcano from the initial maar phase through the Strombolian-/
Vulcanian-type explosive phase with fall and flow deposits to the final stage of lava outflow and plumbing of the lava conduits.
Walking through the open pit mining area will allow finding specific minerals such as phlogopite and pyroxene, as well as upper
mantle lherzolite to dunite nodules. A discussion about the pros and cons of rock and mineral collecting will follow with special
emphasis on the appropriate application of geopark standards. A visit to the “Mühlenberg” then offers a view into the use of
basaltic rocks in ancient and modern times. Caves as well as open pits with the remnants of the former milling stone industry
and today’s use of basaltic rocks will be visited. The next stop will show the “Gerolstein County Geo-Field” which was especially
designed to bring the rock, mineral and fossil stories to the junior geologist, without falling short of showing and explaining
outstanding discordant and concordant contacts between hydro-volcanic and pyro-volcanic deposits.
The third day is dedicated to the famous Eifel maars to discuss their shapes, depths, deposits, and scientific and educational
values, with special regard to their use as climate archives. The Holzmaar with its adjacent smaller maars display their value as
climate archives and how to protect a maar and its environment. A visit in Strohn shows a 120 tons lava bomb and basaltic lava,
scoria and ash deposits. After lunch in the local “Vulkanhaus”, a quarry adjacent to the Pulvermaar is visited, where tuff-ring
deposits rich in accidental lithics can be seen. The next stop is right on top the saddle between two maar lakes, the Weinfelder
Maar and the Schalkenmehrener Maar. This is the place with the highest touristic record, and here will be shown how a geosite
is equipped and maintained. The day concludes with a visit to the Wallenborn cold water geyser. The next day has an option to
visit the Laacher See volcano where 12 900 years ago a VEI 6 phreato-Plinian eruption occurred, the largest ever since in central
Europe.
Further information: http://www.geopark-vulkaneifel.de
Field Trip E6 (one-day trip)
Geodetic Observatory Wettzell
Departure: Friday, September 2, 8:00, LMU Main Building, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich
Return: Friday, September 2, 19:00, LMU Main Building, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 Munich
Cost: 45 €; maximum: 45 participants
Not Included: lunch in local restaurant
Difficulty: no hiking involved
Leaders: Urs Hugentobler, Technische Universität München
Ulrich Schreiber, Thomas Klügel, Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie
Description
The Geodetic Observatory Wettzell in the Bavarian Forest is jointly operated by the Federal Agency for Cartography and
Geodesy (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie, BKG) and Technische Universität München (TUM). At the geodetic
fundamental observatory the main space-geodetic techniques are co-located: The observatory operates a 20 m radio telescope
for geodetic VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) measurements, a Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) telemeter, several GPS,
GPS/GLONASS and Galileo permanent stations, the world largest active Laser gyroscope for measuring variations of the Earth’s
rotation, a superconducting gravimeter, hydrogen masers and atomic clocks as well as supporting sensors for monitoring seismic,
meteorological, and hydrological conditions. Two new 13m radio telescopes as well as a second Laser telemeter are under
construction. Main task of the observatory is to contribute to a global network of stable reference points, allowing to realize a
long-term stable global terrestrial reference frame as metrological basis for geophysical applications and monitoring of global
change as well as monitoring of the orientation of the Earth in space.
The excursion requires a 2.5 hours travel by bus (one way). After a short introduction into the mission and tasks of the observatory
the participants of the trip have the opportunity to visit the instruments in groups and discuss with specialists.
Further information: http://www.fs.wettzell.de
geoMunich2011: September 4-7, 2011, Munich, germany 29