Bullenkuhle
52.81305555555610.516944444444Koordinaten: 52 ° 48 ' 47 " N, 10 ° 31 ' 1" O
The Bullenkuhle is a predominantly vermoorter Kleinsee in the extreme north of the district Gifhorn in Northern Germany (federal state of Lower Saxony). The peculiar habitat and Geotop has formed in a natural terrain hollow shape that can be described as a sinkhole. The area is a nature reserve.
Location, natural area
The Bullenkuhle is located about 15 kilometers south of the town of Uelzen and one kilometer west of the village Bokel (municipality Sprakensehl ) at the edge of a large pine forest complex on about 95 m above sea level. In the immediate vicinity of springs an initially referred to as " Bokeler Bach" running waters, which is in the course of " Aue " and finally, to merge with other streams, to the Elbe Creek Ilmenau. Geographically, the area belongs to a branch of the East " Hohenheide ", which in turn is a key part of the natural area main unit Lüneburg Heath. This consists of end and ground moraines and periglacial geomorphology flight sands landscape was shaped especially by the Eisrandlagen during later phases of the Saale glaciation, especially in the so-called Drenthe II stage and at the final Warta stadials glacial advance. The undulating ridges of terminal moraines are usually planted in the summit documents on predominantly sandy soils with pine forest; ground moraines are used for agriculture. One for the Lüneburg Heath as typically adopted open moorland - was created by the anthropogenic However Holzraubbau, burning, and grazing Plaggenabtrag - is now obtained in the immediate vicinity of the Bullenkuhle only in fragments. The overall climate of the Lüneburg Heath is characterized subatlantisch.
Emergence of the sinkhole
In northern Germany there are numerous salt domes in the subsurface - remnants of the " Zechstein " from the era of the Permian, which were later rearranged and tectonically deformed. Upon contact of the rock salt with ground water occurs Ablaugungserscheinungen; it is salt dissolved in the water and removed. This can have the consequence that form large cavities that finally bring about the upcoming overburden to collapse. In part, continues such taking place in a few hundred meters deep slump to the ground. There arise distinctive, often steep sided and deep hollow forms, which are called " sinkhole ". Some of these funnel stay dry, in others there is a body of water that can vermooren later developed. Sinkholes are geologically often very young; they are often only a few thousand years old, some burglaries are back even just a few hundred years.
There are several examples of Erdfallseen and - moore, including quite a large water bodies like the Arendsee and the Zwischenahner - both after all, about 500 acres in size - the Seeburger See, the Sager Sea in the district of Oldenburg, the Rudow lake in Prignitz or the Moore groundless in the district Heidekreis and Maujahn in the Lüchow -Dannenberg. In this range also includes the "bull hollow ", which is considerably smaller. This sinkhole has a diameter of about 130 meters and reaches a depth of 15 meters. For precise date of origin of the Bullenkuhle are no information; this one moorstratigraphische and palynological investigation of the vertical Erdfallprofils would be necessary (see Maujahn -Moor ).
Description
The visitor enters into a cauldron-like terrain structure with partly steep slope gradients ( 30 to 60 °). At the foot of the slopes of glacial sand stretches over an area of about 0.5 hectares, a Moor, which turns out on closer inspection to be a floating or quaking under which probably is not a homogeneous peat body, but at least partially a free water body. The quaking covers at least 80 percent of the water or bog; only in the northeast is an approximately 0.1 -acre, several meters deep pond, a so-called Moorkolk, remained open. The lake is oligotrophic pronounced with an electrolytic conductivity of 24 ĩS / cm, moderately acidic huminstoffreich and with a pH of 5.0. Therein grow typical bog plants such as sphagnum moss, water hose and the rare Shiny water lily ( Nymphaea candida ). The advancing in the Kolk quaking consists mainly of peat moss beside Scheidigem cotton grass, bells, brooms and crowberry heath; also White beak-sedge and Ordinary Cranberry can be found. The largely unwooded area is to be regarded as flat and barely curved transitional moor. A ring-like edge marsh has formed at the periphery, which is slightly better nutrient supplied by tapering from the slopes of rainwater as the center of the bog. Here thrives mainly Ried beak - sedge.
The slopes of the terrain funnel occupied by pygmy owl of heather, blueberry, and cranberry, from moor grass and stocks of woody plants. Among these, some very large and old juniper bushes or trees are particularly striking and shape the landscape. In addition, are especially birch, alder thickets and forest pines mentioned. The fauna is remarkable and partially specialized in bog habitats. Remarkably, among other things, the presence of up to eight species of amphibians and of the viper.
The saga of Bullenkuhle
Protection
Because of its uniqueness as a biotope and Geotop the Bullenkuhle was designated as a nature reserve and is a conservation area part of the European system of protected areas Natura 2000. Protection area covers 2.55 hectares. Entering the sensitive vibration occurs lawn is not only dangerous but also illegal. To maintain the moorland landscape of emerging pine nursery nurses is sometimes removed. In a few hundred years, the total water surface may have been overgrown by the Moor ceiling.