The geological history of Germany is notably diverse. It is documented in this textbook and presented in the form of attractive coloured graphics and an easy-to-read text. The book is written not only for people active in this discipline but also for non-geologists. Across the north of Germany stretches the North German Plain covered by young unconsolidated sediment. Further south lies the low mountainous area of central Germany where the oldest rocks in the country can be found. The southernmost area of Germany borders the relatively young mountain range of the European Alps and its prominent foreland basin containing the Alpine Molasse.
The book deals with the following questions:
- How did these different mountain and landscape forms develop?
- Which rocks are found in the geological basement of Germany?
- What is the reason that earthquakes only occur in certain regions of Germany?
- Where is the youngest volcano and why did it then erupt?
- How are the features of central Europe linked to plate tectonic movements?
- How was today's land surface formed?
All of these questions are addressed by Prof. Dr. Martin Meschede and Prof. Dr. Laurence N. Warr from the Institute of Geography and Geology in the newly available English version of the book on the geology of Germany. This contribution illustrates how the development of Germany starts with the early interaction of moving continents and finishing with the current assembly of its different structural units.
Further information
About the authors
Martin Meschede (born 1957) is Professor in regional and structural geology at the University of Greifswald since 2001. From 1986 to 2001 he was a research fellow at the University of Tübingen. He works largely in themes dealing with plate tectonics, marine geology, geodynamics, structural geology and the regional geology of Central America, the east Pacific area and northern central Europe. In addition to other scientific publications, he co-authored together with Wolfgang Frisch (Tubingen/Vienna) the textbook Plate tectonics and acted together with Jan Harff (Sczcecin/Poland), Sven Petersen (Kiel) and Jörn Thiede (Kiel/St. Petersburg/Russia) as editor for the Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences.
Laurence Warr (born 1965) is Professor in economic geology and geochemistry at the University of Greifswald since 2007. From 1990 to 2002 he was a research fellow at the University of Heidelberg and between 2003 and 2007 researched for the CNRS at the University of Strasbourg. He works largely in the field of clay mineralogy, diagenesis, metamorphism and deformation processes in fault zones. His regional geology interests lie in SW England, central Europe, California and New Zealand. In addition to other scientific publications, he is a contributing author to the textbook Geological History of Britain and Ireland (2009; Wiley, 2nd edition).
Meschede, M., Warr, L.N. (2019): The Geology of Germany – a Process-Oriented Approach. –Series: Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Heidelberg – Berlin, 304 pages ISBN 978-3-319-76102-2 (€ 85,59 | eBook € 67,82 ).
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Martin Meschede
Regional and Structural Geology
Institute of Geography and Geology
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17 A, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4560
meschedeuni-greifswaldde
Prof. Dr. Laurence N. Warr
Economic Geology and Geochemistry
Institute of Geography and Geology
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Straße 17 A, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 4578
warruni-greifswaldde