Diebstein Rock Formation

From Osthessenzeitung dated July 28, 2019
Herbstein (oz/sm) - The rock formation "Diebstein" is located at an altitude of 570 meters, just one kilometer northwest of Lanzenhain. Anyone hiking on the ExtraTour FelsenTour near Herbstein will pass this geotope, which is about 20 meters high and almost 200 meters long, at the highest point of the tour.
Nestled in a wonderful primeval forest of old beech trees, the Diebstein is very romantic and idyllically located - but appearances are deceptive. Because here the name is, or rather was, the program: At the Diebstein, wood and poachers were once handed over to the jurisdiction of the Barons of Riedesel - in this respect, a place that was anything but romantic. The fact that the Diebstein was shown particularly large after the land survey in the years 1823 to 1850 and clearly labeled on the map also speaks for its importance at the time.Because of its beauty and regional significance, the geotope was designated a natural monument by the Vogelsberg district by decree of December 14, 2017. The basalt cliff, which has been fissured by weathering, is now a protected area of around 4,000 square meters. Basalt rocks of various sizes are scattered everywhere, forming a large pile of blocks below the cliff. The Hessian State Office for Geology explains the rock in great detail in its book "Geotopes in the Vogelsberg (2009)": It is a dark gray, fine-grained alkali basalt that contains many olivines up to three millimeters in size - these are crystals from the earth's upper mantle. However, it contains few clinopyroxenes as phenocrysts.Since the compact basalt is riddled with small, regulated bubbles, it is assumed that it is a lava flow. Due to the strong fissures and the good air conditions, many lichens and mosses have settled on the erosion edge. In the summer, hikers can find large populations of the Vogelsberg district's heraldic plant, the Turk's cap lily, near the natural monument.