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Schwarza River (Saale)
Encyclopedia
The Schwarza is a left tributary
of the Saale
in Thuringia
, Germany
, and 53 km long. Its source is in the Thuringian Forest
, near Neuhaus am Rennweg
. It flows into the Saale in Rudolstadt
. Other towns on the Schwarza are Schwarzburg
and Bad Blankenburg
. It has 50 tributaries
, the largest being the Lichte
, the Sorbitz, the Werre and the Rinne. Its name, meaning "black river", comes from its dark colour in its upper course and the thick forest which originally overshadowed the narrow valley.
The Schwarza valley parallels the axis of the Schwarzburg anticline
(Schwarzburger Sattel), a structure that divides the Thuringian forest
to the northwest from the Thuringian Highland
to the southeast. The Schwarzburg Anticline was created by the collision between Laurentia
and Gondwana
around 350 million years ago. The rock of the Schwarzburg Anticline is metamorphic, with a core of ordovician
rock, largely quartzite
. The river is geologically unusual for the large number of kolk
s in its lower course.
The Schwarza river is the richest in gold
in Germany, and its valley has been known for its deposits of placer
gold since the 12th century. In 1442, the rights to the gold deposits of the Schwarza valley were granted to the Counts of Schwarzburg
. Recreational placer miners continue to find occasional gold nuggets in the Schwarza to this day.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and 53 km long. Its source is in the Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
, near Neuhaus am Rennweg
Neuhaus am Rennweg
Neuhaus am Rennweg is a town in the district of Sonneberg, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 17 km north of Sonneberg, and 22 km southwest of Saalfeld.-References:...
. It flows into the Saale in Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt
Rudolstadt is a town in the German Bundesland of Thuringia, close to the Thuringian Forest to the southwest, and to Jena and Weimar to the north....
. Other towns on the Schwarza are Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg is a municipality in the valley of the Schwarza in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Germany.First mentioned in 1071 as Swartzinburg. The castle was from the 12th century the seat of the Counts of Schwarzburg...
and Bad Blankenburg
Bad Blankenburg
Bad Blankenburg is a spa town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 6 km southwest of Rudolstadt, and 37 km southeast of Erfurt....
. It has 50 tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, the largest being the Lichte
Lichte (river)
The Lichte River is a right tributary of the Schwarza in Thuringia, Germany, and is 17 km long.- Source :The Lichte rises as the Little Lichte in Neuhaus am Rennweg in the Thuringian Highlands.- Course :...
, the Sorbitz, the Werre and the Rinne. Its name, meaning "black river", comes from its dark colour in its upper course and the thick forest which originally overshadowed the narrow valley.
The Schwarza valley parallels the axis of the Schwarzburg anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
(Schwarzburger Sattel), a structure that divides the Thuringian forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
to the northwest from the Thuringian Highland
Thuringian Highland
The Thuringian Highland or Thuringian Highlands is a low range of mountains in the German state of Thuringia.- Geography :The Thuringian Highland borders on the Thuringian Forest to the southwest...
to the southeast. The Schwarzburg Anticline was created by the collision between Laurentia
Laurentia
Laurentia is a large area of continental craton, which forms the ancient geological core of the North American continent...
and Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
around 350 million years ago. The rock of the Schwarzburg Anticline is metamorphic, with a core of ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
rock, largely quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
. The river is geologically unusual for the large number of kolk
Kolk
A kolk is an underwater vortex that is created when rapidly rushing water passes an underwater obstacle in boundary areas of high shear. High velocity gradients produce a violently rotating column of water, similar to a tornado. Kolks are capable of plucking multi-ton blocks of rock and...
s in its lower course.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Germany, and its valley has been known for its deposits of placer
Placer deposit
In geology, a placer deposit or placer is an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by gravity separation during sedimentary processes. The name is from the Spanish word placer, meaning "alluvial sand". Placer mining is an important source of gold, and was the main technique used in the early...
gold since the 12th century. In 1442, the rights to the gold deposits of the Schwarza valley were granted to the Counts of Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg
Schwarzburg is a municipality in the valley of the Schwarza in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in Thuringia, Germany.First mentioned in 1071 as Swartzinburg. The castle was from the 12th century the seat of the Counts of Schwarzburg...
. Recreational placer miners continue to find occasional gold nuggets in the Schwarza to this day.