Iberg (Harz)
Encyclopedia
The Iberg is a hill, 563 m above sea level, in the western Harz mountains in the German state of Lower Saxony
.
It lies north of Bad Grund, above the Harz High Road
. The Iberg is an old coral reef
that emerged in the Givetian/Frasnian
(Devonian
) stages, that was created as an atoll
in the middle of the ocean, probably from the base of a volcano
. The reef was mainly built by coral
s und stromatoporoidea
. Later, as the Frasnian
transitioned into the Famennian
, these reef-building organisms died out leaving the reef unfinished. During the Famennian
and Mississippian crevices emerged that were filled with crinoid
, brachiopod
und goniatite
chalks.
The Iberg is made entirely of limestone and karst
ification has resulted in numerous caves. One of these, the Iberg Dripstone Cave
is open to the public through guided tours. In the immediate vicinity is the Hübichenstein
. On the northwestern slopes of the Iberg is a large limestone
quarry and a lime works.
On the summit is the Albert Tower (Iberger Albertturm) and a restaurant for day trippers. There is also a checkpoint (no. 130) for the Harzer Wandernadel
. The Iberger Kaffeehaus on the northern slope was a popular restaurant and was also referred to as Bad Grund's Balcony (Balkon Bad Grunds). However it was the victim of arson on 28 February 2000 and has since fallen into rack and ruin.
See also: List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony
51°49′14"N 10°14′58"E
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
.
It lies north of Bad Grund, above the Harz High Road
Bundesstraße 242
- Route :The B 242, also known as the Harz High Road , runs right across the Harz mountains in central Germany. From Seesen on the northwestern edge of the Harz near the A 7 motorway it runs through the Upper Harz past Clausthal-Zellerfeld, the High Harz, where it is combined for several kilometres...
. The Iberg is an old coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
that emerged in the Givetian/Frasnian
Frasnian
The Frasnian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 385.3 ± 2.6 million years ago to 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago. It was preceded by the Givetian stage and followed by the Famennian stage...
(Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
) stages, that was created as an atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the middle of the ocean, probably from the base of a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. The reef was mainly built by coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s und stromatoporoidea
Stromatoporoidea
Stromatoporoidea is a class of aquatic invertebrates common in the fossil record from the Ordovician through the Cretaceous. They were especially abundant in the Silurian and Devonian. These invertebrates were important reef-formers throughout the Paleozoic and the Late Mesozoic. The group was...
. Later, as the Frasnian
Frasnian
The Frasnian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 385.3 ± 2.6 million years ago to 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago. It was preceded by the Givetian stage and followed by the Famennian stage...
transitioned into the Famennian
Famennian
The Famennian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago to 359.2 ± 2.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Frasnian stage and followed by the Tournaisian stage and is named after Famenne, a natural region in southern Belgium.It was...
, these reef-building organisms died out leaving the reef unfinished. During the Famennian
Famennian
The Famennian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian epoch. It lasted from 374.5 ± 2.6 million years ago to 359.2 ± 2.5 million years ago. It was preceded by the Frasnian stage and followed by the Tournaisian stage and is named after Famenne, a natural region in southern Belgium.It was...
and Mississippian crevices emerged that were filled with crinoid
Crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms . Crinoidea comes from the Greek word krinon, "a lily", and eidos, "form". They live both in shallow water and in depths as great as 6,000 meters. Sea lilies refer to the crinoids which, in their adult form, are...
, brachiopod
Brachiopod
Brachiopods are a phylum of marine animals that have hard "valves" on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection...
und goniatite
Goniatite
Goniatites are extinct ammonoids, shelled cephalopods related to squid, octopus, and belemnites, that form the order Goniatitida. The Gonatitida originated from within the more primitive anarcestine ammonoids in the Middle Devonian some 390 million years ago...
chalks.
The Iberg is made entirely of limestone and karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ification has resulted in numerous caves. One of these, the Iberg Dripstone Cave
Iberg Dripstone Cave
The Iberg Dripstone Cave is located in southern Lower Saxony near Bad Grund on the western edge of the Harz mountains in the 563 metre high Iberg mountain at a height of 440 metre above sea level in the chalk of a upper Devonian atoll reef. The actual dripstone cave is 123 metres...
is open to the public through guided tours. In the immediate vicinity is the Hübichenstein
Hübichenstein
The Hübichenstein is an unusual rock formation in the Harz mountains, 50 meters in height, located on highway B242 about one kilometer northwest of Bad Grund, Lower Saxony, Germany. In 1897 it was crowned with a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I, in the shape of an eagle with three-meter wingspan.-...
. On the northwestern slopes of the Iberg is a large limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry and a lime works.
On the summit is the Albert Tower (Iberger Albertturm) and a restaurant for day trippers. There is also a checkpoint (no. 130) for the Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
. The Iberger Kaffeehaus on the northern slope was a popular restaurant and was also referred to as Bad Grund's Balcony (Balkon Bad Grunds). However it was the victim of arson on 28 February 2000 and has since fallen into rack and ruin.
See also: List of mountains and hills in Lower Saxony
51°49′14"N 10°14′58"E