Wijst Grounds Peelrand Fault

wisdom grounds Peelland break Maashorst

The Peel Edge Fault is a geological fault line that owes its name to the Peel.

The Peelrand fault is clearly visible in the landscape in several places. For example, in the Sint Annabos near Uden you can see a height difference or steep edge of almost 2 meters. It is also noticeable that the vegetation on the high part of the fault is different from that on the low side. This is because the soil on the high side is much wetter. Soil scientists would normally expect it to be the other way around, but due to the tectonic movement of the soil, the density of the soil around the fault plane is much greater and practically impermeable to water. As a result, the groundwater that flows from the higher Peelhorst towards the lower Roerdalslenk is forced to the surface at the Peelrand fault.
This groundwater naturally contains a great deal of dissolved iron. As soon as the iron particles come into contact with oxygen, rusty deposits form on the soil. If this process is repeated in the same place over and over again, large, hardened iron concentrations can form: the iron ore banks.