Staufen, Germany
Encyclopedia
Staufen im Breisgau is a German
town in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald
district of Baden-Württemberg
. It has a population of approximately 7700.
(Breisgau-Upper Black Forest) in the German
State
of Baden-Württemberg
. The City of Staufen has approximately 7700 inhabitants and forms, together with the community of Münstertal, Black Forest
, a community administrative unit.
It is noted in history and culture for its association with Dr Faustus
who, according to legend, sold his soul to the Devil at an inn here.
at the exit from the Münstertal. The Black Forest valley of Neumagen
goes here directly over into the Rhine plain. The piedmont of the Black Forest is less distinct. North of the valley exit, the steeply rising Schlossberg
dominates; to the southwest begins the hilly landscape of the Markgräflerland
. Staufen lies on the border between two natural and economic areas: the Rhine plain up to the piedmont with its cultivation of grain, winegrapes and vegetables; and the Black Forest, with its cattle and forestries, and, in an earlier time, mining.
to the city hall. The drilling perforated an anhydrite
layer and caused high-pressure groundwater
to come into contact with the anhydrite, which then began to expand. Currently no end to the rising process is in sight. By 2010 some sections of town had risen by 30 cm.
Data from the TerraSAR-X
radar satellite before and after the changes has confirmed the localised nature of the situation. "A geochemical process called anhydrite
swelling has been confirmed as the cause of these uplifts. This is a transformation of the mineral anhydrite (anhydrous calcium sulphate) into gypsum
(hydrous calcium sulphate). A pre-condition for this transformation is that the anhydrite is in contact with water, which is then stored in its crystalline structure."
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...
town in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald is a district in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Emmendingen, Schwarzwald-Baar, Waldshut, Lörrach and the French départements of the Haut-Rhin and the Bas-Rhin. The district-free city of Freiburg is surrounded by the district...
district of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. It has a population of approximately 7700.
General
The city of Staufen im Breisgau lies in the Land district of Breisgau-HochschwarzwaldBreisgau-Hochschwarzwald
Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald is a district in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Emmendingen, Schwarzwald-Baar, Waldshut, Lörrach and the French départements of the Haut-Rhin and the Bas-Rhin. The district-free city of Freiburg is surrounded by the district...
(Breisgau-Upper Black Forest) in the German
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...
State
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. The City of Staufen has approximately 7700 inhabitants and forms, together with the community of Münstertal, Black Forest
Münstertal, Black Forest
Münstertal is a municipality in the southern Black Forest, which belongs to the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is 3 miles east from Staufen.-Notes:...
, a community administrative unit.
It is noted in history and culture for its association with Dr Faustus
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
who, according to legend, sold his soul to the Devil at an inn here.
Geography
Staufen lies at the foot of the Black ForestBlack Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
at the exit from the Münstertal. The Black Forest valley of Neumagen
Neumagen
Neumagen is a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-See also:*List of rivers of Baden-Württemberg...
goes here directly over into the Rhine plain. The piedmont of the Black Forest is less distinct. North of the valley exit, the steeply rising Schlossberg
Schlossberg
The term Schlossberg or Schloßberg may refer to:*Schloßberg, Austria, a town in the district of Leibnitz in Styria*Schlossberg , a tree covered hill in the area of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau....
dominates; to the southwest begins the hilly landscape of the Markgräflerland
Markgräflerland
Markgräflerland is a region in the southwest of Germany, in the south of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg, located between the Breisgau in the north and the Black Forest in the east.-History and geography:...
. Staufen lies on the border between two natural and economic areas: the Rhine plain up to the piedmont with its cultivation of grain, winegrapes and vegetables; and the Black Forest, with its cattle and forestries, and, in an earlier time, mining.
Geothermal drilling controversy
Since 2008, the centre of the city has reported to have risen some 12 cm, after initially sinking a few millimeters. This has caused considerable damage to buildings in the city centre, including the historical town hall. One hypothesis for the cause of this geological change is a drilling operation conducted in the spring of 2007 to provide geothermal heatingGeothermal heating
Geothermal heating is the direct use of geothermal energy for heating applications. Humans have taken advantage of geothermal heat this way since the Paleolithic era. Approximately seventy countries made direct use of a total of 270 PJ of geothermal heating in 2004...
to the city hall. The drilling perforated an anhydrite
Anhydrite
Anhydrite is a mineral – anhydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4. It is in the orthorhombic crystal system, with three directions of perfect cleavage parallel to the three planes of symmetry. It is not isomorphous with the orthorhombic barium and strontium sulfates, as might be expected from the...
layer and caused high-pressure groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
to come into contact with the anhydrite, which then began to expand. Currently no end to the rising process is in sight. By 2010 some sections of town had risen by 30 cm.
Data from the TerraSAR-X
TerraSAR-X
TerraSAR-X, a German Earth observation satellite, is a joint venture being carried out under a public-private-partnership between the German Aerospace Center DLR and EADS Astrium GmbH; the exclusive commercial exploitation rights are held by the geo-information service provider Infoterra GmbH....
radar satellite before and after the changes has confirmed the localised nature of the situation. "A geochemical process called anhydrite
Anhydrite
Anhydrite is a mineral – anhydrous calcium sulfate, CaSO4. It is in the orthorhombic crystal system, with three directions of perfect cleavage parallel to the three planes of symmetry. It is not isomorphous with the orthorhombic barium and strontium sulfates, as might be expected from the...
swelling has been confirmed as the cause of these uplifts. This is a transformation of the mineral anhydrite (anhydrous calcium sulphate) into gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
(hydrous calcium sulphate). A pre-condition for this transformation is that the anhydrite is in contact with water, which is then stored in its crystalline structure."