Baden-Wurttemberg

The Black Forest, located in South-Western Germany, is a huge mountain range, folded by the rifting process of the Upper Rhine Valley. On the other, the west side od the valley the Vosges were folded.

Besides a lot of places one can search for minerals and also minerals were mined in earlier periods (since the Roman time period), one can find agates and lithophysae agates in this area. The two most important sources which are also best known in the world are Baden-Baden and the Lierbachtal.

Both are silica rich vulcanites from the early Upper-Rotliegend in the middle and northern Black Forrest. The Baden-Baden vulcanite is classified as Pinitporphyry the Lierbachtal vulcanite as porphyry Grünberg type.

To the west of the higher mountain range you can find a plate system of smaller hills and plains. Before the land consolidation between the 1930ies and 60ies a lot of creeks and smaller rivers came down from the Black Forest flowing to the north parallel to the river Rhine on an upper plain (see map). Today those rivers have the possiblity to flood drain straight to the west into the river Rhine via canals. The Rench - marked in red - came down from the Lierbach valley carrying lithophysae agates, the Kinzig came down from the Geisberg but there are no agates in the gravels today.

But what is left are a few lakes with gravel pits still running - like the one near Achern. There you can find agates, lithophysae agates and other silicified material from the plains (Jurassic & Triassic material). Sometimes you can find lithophysae agates in the Rench today.

size:

A very unusual lithophysae from a gravel pit near Achern (river Rench) original from the Lierbachtal. You can see two origination points in it.

size: 85x53x32 mm

A nice patterned lithophysae core from the gravel pit Kühl near Baden-Baden. Also sourced in Baden-Baden itself. The huge pseudomorphs are remarkable.

size: 60x55 mm

A specimen from the gravel pit originating from the sublocation Maria Halde. This egg is filled with chalcedony and plasma. It's surface is smooth, rounded and typically water warn.

size:

The source of Haigeracher Tal or Gengenbach is located south to the Lierbach valley. The real name of the source is Mooskopf. The lithophysae agates have a whitish matrix and mostly carnelian colored agate cores.

The habit is quite similar to those from the Geissberg.

Lithophysae agates from the source called "Hinterer Geisberg" near Schweighausen. There are also vein agates to find further down the hill.

size: 50x20 mm

Beside the very rare thundereggs from Schweighausen "Hinterer Geisberg" there are the better known agates which usually are flat discus shaped nodules.