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Geological Tables Teufelstisch - the Devil's Table by Joachim Rohn The Teufelstisch is a geological formation of Triassic red sandstone and one of the best known natural monuments in the region of Pfälzerwald in southwestern Germany. It comprises an almost square block (the table-top) resting on three sandstone legs. The characteristic erosion of the sandstone is due to the development of Rehberg Schichten (Rehberg-layers). These result from inter-stratified aeolian and ephemeral flood sands, originally deposited in a semi-arid environment, gravels and sands accumulating after periodic rainstorms and aeolian dune sediments at other times. The Rehberg layers are a diagenetic feature resulting from alternating sequence of hard, silicified, fluvial layers and weak, virtually non-silicified, dune sediments. In the Devil's Table itself, a thick silicified layer forms the top of the table protecting the weak layers beneath from erosion. The nearly rectangular form of the 7 m x 7 m big table top is caused by natural joints in the sediment. The weak base of the table is eroded except for the meagre remains you see in the picture. Salt erosion causes additional surface structures in the sandstone, known as honeycomb weathering..
Figures
Teufelstisch. the Devil's Table formed by Rehberg layering
Honeycomb weathering, an erosional feature of the Devil's Table |
