Solnhohen's Quarries (Southern Germany)

Abstract

 Solnhohen is a small town located between Munich and Nürnberg. It is famous for its limestone dating from the late Jurassic period (150 Ma), from which many fossils have been obtained. Because it is fine-grained and slabby, as shown in the photograph on the cover page, Solnhohen's limestone has been used for building materials, especially walls and floors, since Roman times, and for lithographic stones since 1793. Since large-scale quarrying began, many fossils have been found there in good condition. Among these fossils, the most famous are archaeopteryx, and until now ten archaeopteryx have been collected.
 Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum near Solnfohen railroad station was reconstructed in 2008, and specializes is Solnhohen's fossils. Nördlingen, a medieval town along the Romantishe Strasse, is 40-km west of Solnfohen, where the Reis Crater Museum is located. These are the best geological museums to visit if you have a chance to go to Southern Germany.
(Photo & Explanation: Motomaro SHIRAO)