Continents in constant motion

We humans hardly notice the change in the landscape that surrounds us. Rocks are always in the same place for us, as are mountains and seas. But actually things are quite different! Earth is constantly in motion: continents come close to each other and collide. Mountains rise up or disappear. Oceans flood land masses only to retreat again. However, we humans cannot see all this. Our lifespan is too limited to perceive the centuries, millennia or even millions of years of change.

Slow journey into the valley

The Bruchhauser Steine are also constantly changing: large and small boulders have come loose from the Bruchhauser Steine over time. The force of gravity, the steep slope and the weather ensure that they gradually slide down towards the valley. The boulders here in the forest will also slowly but steadily continue their migration and one day arrive in the valley. A particularly large number of boulders can be found here on the north-western slope of the Istenberg, between Feldstein and Ravenstein. The rocks had a very easy time sliding down here because the slope is quite steep.

Mountains arise

But it is not only the boulders that are constantly on the move – the earth’s continental plates are also inexorably in motion, albeit so slowly that it cannot be felt or seen. Seven large and several smaller continental plates collide constantly. When the pressure of the plates on each other became too great 300 million years ago, the plates pushed underneath each other. As a result, numerous areas, including the Sauerland and the Bruchhauser Steine, rose above sea level: mountains had emerged.

Caption
310 million years ago, the Sauerland was on the equator... and during the Ice Age 25,000 years ago, it was on the glacier.