Abstract
Within the Westeifel Volcanic Field 27% of the 250 Quaternary eruptive centers are maars. Maars form as a result of a highly explosive interactive process between rising melt and groundwater. In the Westeifel, probably thermal water plays an important role for the productive phreatomagmatic interaction process and, con-sequently, the high number of maars. The Westeifel maars show all transitions to scoria cones. Only the youngest maars are filled by a maar lake or a raised bog, and are well preserved. The older maars show a low diameter to depth ratio. Nearly one third of the Westeifel maars were formed during the Weichselian glaciation period. The isostatic movements during the increasing and decreasing glaciation generated tectonic stress in front of the ice cap and, probably, caused the inten-sive volcanic activity during the last glaciation. This assumed to be the reason why for the last 10 000 years BP (Ulmen maar activity) no volcanic activity has happened.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Barnola, J.M., Raynaud, D., Korotkevich, Y.S. & Lorius, C. (1987): Vostock ice core provides 160,000-year record of atmospheric CO2. Nature, 329: 408–414.
Büchel. G. (1984): Die Maare im Vulkanfeld der Westeifel, ihr geophysikalischer Nachweis, ihr Alter und ihre Beziehung zur Tektonik der Erdkruste. 385 p., dortoral thesis; University of Mainz.
Büchel, G. (1984): The Westeifel Volcanic Field—Evidence for active tectonism in the Central European Rift System. Terra cognita, 4: p. 96.
Büchel, G. (1987): Geophysik der Eifel-Maare. 1: Erkundung neuer Maare im Vulkanfeld der Eifel mit Hilfe geomagnetischer Untersuchungen. Mainzer geowiss. Mitt., 16: 227–274.
Büchel, G. & Lorenz, V. (1982): Zum Alter des Maarvulkanismus der Westeifel. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh, 163: 1–22.
Büchel, G., Lorenz, V., Schmincke, H.-U. & Zimanowski, B. (1986): Quartäre Vulkanfelder der Eifel. Fortschr. Miner., 64, Beih. 2: 97–141.
Büchel, G. Mertes, H. (1982): Die Eruptionzentren des Westeifeler Vulkanfeldes. Z. dt. geol. Ges., 133: 409–429.
Fuhrmann, U. & Lippolt, H.J. (1982): Das Alter des jungen Vulkanismus der Westeifel aufgrund von 40Ar/39Ar-Datierungen. Fortschr. Miner., 60, Beih 1: 80–82.
Illies, H. & Baumann, H. (1982): Crustal dynamics and morphodynamics of the Western European Rift System. Z. Geomorph. N.F., Suppl., 42: 135–165.
Lippolt, H.J. (1983): Distribution of volcanic activity in space and time. In: Fuchs, K., von Gehlen, K., Mälzer, H., Murawski, H. & Semmel, A. (eds.), Plateau uplift. The Rhenish Shield—a case history, 112–120, Springer; Berlin.
Langguth, H.R. & Plum, H. (1984): Untersuchung der Mineral-und Thermalquellen der Eifel auf geothermische Indikatoren. BMFT-Forschungsbericht, T 84-019.
Lorenz, V. (1973): On the Formation of maars. Bull. Volcanol., 37-2: 138–204.
Lorenz, V. (1986): On the growth of maars and diatremes and its relevance to the formation of tuff rings. Bull. Volcanol, 48: 265–274.
Mertes, H. (1982): Aufbau und Genese des Westeifeler Vulkanfeldes. 415 p., doctoral thesis, University of Bochum.
Mertes, H. & Schmicke, H.-U. (1983): Age distribution of volcanoes in the West Eifel. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh., 166: 260–293.
Mertes, H. & Schmincke, H.-U. (1985): Mafic potassic lavas of the Quaternary West Eifel volcanic field. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 89: 330–345.
Panza, G.F., Mueller, St. & Calcagnile, G. (1980): The gross features of the lithosphere-astenosphere system in Europe from seismic surface waves and body waves. Pure Appl. Geoph., 118: 1209–1213
Raikes, S. & Bonjer, K.-P. (1983): Large-scale mantle heterogeneity beneath the Rhenish Massif and its vicinity from teleseismic P-residuals measurements. In: Fuchs, K., von Gehlen, K., Mälzer, H., Murawski, H. & Semmel, A. (eds.), Plateau uplift. The Rhenish Shield—a case history, 315–331, Springer; Berlin.
Sigvaldason, G.E.; Annertz, K. & Nilsson, M. (1992): Effect of glacier loading/deloading on volcanism: postglacial volcanic production rate of the Dyngjufjöll area, central Iceland. Bull. Volcanol., 54: 385–392.
Wienecke, K. (1984: Strukturelle Untersuchungen im Mesozoikum der Eifeler Nord-Süd-Zone. 187 p., doctoral thesis; University of Bonn.
Wood, C.A. (1974): Reconnaissance geophysics and geology of the Pinacate Craters, Sonora, Mexico. Bull. Volcanol., 38: 149–172.
Zimanowski, B., Fröhlich, G. & Lorenz, V. (1991): Quantitative experiments on phreatomagmatic explosions. J. Volcanol. Geotherm Res., 48: 341–358.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Springer-Verlag
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Büchel, G. (1993). Maars of the Westeifel, Germany. In: Negendank, J.F.W., Zolitschka, B. (eds) Paleolimnology of European Maar Lakes. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, vol 49. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0117585
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0117585
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56570-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47591-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive