The Karmelenberg is a wooded

cinder cone A cinder cone (or scoria cone) is a steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic clinkers, volcanic ash, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are formed by explosive eruptions o ...

that was formed by

volcanic activity Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...

. It marks the southeastern end of the

East Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

volcano field and rises to a height of , about 170 metres above the

Pellenz The Pellenz is a hill country in the northwestern part of the Middle Rhine Basin in Germany between Mayen in the southwest and Andernach in the northeast. In addition Pellenz is the name of a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the state of Rhineland-Palat ...

region, and is visible from a long way off. In the UNO Year of Mountains (2002), the Karmelenberg was Mountain/Hill of the Month in Germany. A monument records the proclamation on 21 June 2002. As part of the Volcano Park (station 21), the hill is counted as a tourist attraction. Various information boards explain both its volcanic past as well as the history of St. Mary’s Chapel at the summit. The hill is named after

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a c ...

in the Carmel massif, an important Biblical site and modern landmark in northwestern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The entire cinder cone of the Karmelenberg has been designated as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

Location

The Karmelenberg belongs to the municipality of

Bassenheim Bassenheim is a municipality in the district Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") Weißenthurm. It is situated away from Koblenz. The municipal council consists of 20 peop ...

and is situated close to the

Ochtendung Ochtendung is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. Geography Ochtendung lies between the A 48 and A 61 motorways and has designated junctions from both. The village lies on the Nette and ...

junction on the A 48 motorway. Nearby is the

Goloring The Goloring is an ancient earthworks monument located near Koblenz, Germany. It was created in the Bronze Age era, which dates back to the Urnfield culture (1200–800 BCE.). During this time a widespread solar cult is believed to have existed i ...

, an important area monument. The Karmelenberg may be climbed from Bassenheim up a 1.5-kilometre-long avenue (natural monument ND-7137-386), from Ochtendung or from the L 52 from

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

Polch Polch () is a town in the district Mayen-Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is part of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Maifeld. It is situated east of Mayen. Polch is twinned with the commune of Vineuil, located n ...

Geology

The cinder cone of the Karmelenberg is part of a volcanic group with ten eruption centres that was active about 350,000 to 300,000 years ago. In addition to the Karrmelenberg main top, there are also the Schweinskopf and the so-called Oberholzgruppe, of which no trace is visible any longer. The Schweinskopf is almost completely levelled due to quarrying. The Karmelenberg Group lies partly on the edge fault of the

Neuwied Basin Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the Neuwied (district), District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am ...

. On its north side, the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

bedrock of

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past ...

slates is about 100 metres down. On the south side lie riparian gravels of the Ur-

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

. The three

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

flows that emanated from the Karmelenberg are covered by

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

and

loess Loess (, ; from german: Löss ) is a clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. Ten percent of Earth's land area is covered by loess or similar deposits. Loess is a periglacial or aeolian ...

Quarrying

The large quarry, which is still visible, was established in the 20th century. The high, vertical faces of the outcrop were produced by a special, high risk, quarrying technique known as ''Hohlmachen'' (“cave making”). At the foot off the rock face a low cave was hewn out and filled with wood. After blowing up the wooden props, large areas of the rock face collapsed to the ground.

Nature reserve

The Karmelenberg Nature Reserve (NSG-7137-031) has an area of 10.74 ha. It was designated on 7 May 1981 by the Bezirksregierung Koblenz. Its aim is the preservation of the Karmelenberg for scientific and cultural reasons due to its geological character including its outcrops, it habitat for rare and endangered wild flowers and plants and its natural beauty and uniqueness.Rechtsverordnung über das „Naturschutzgebiet Karmelenberg“ der Bezirksregierung Koblenz dated 7 May 1981, with effect from 19 May 1981
(pdf; 86 kB)

References

{{Authority control Cinder cones Mountains and hills of the Eifel Nature reserves in Rhineland-Palatinate Mountains and hills of Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz

Location

Geology

Quarrying

Nature reserve

See also

References