Content I. General Information 1 1.1 The Southern Black Forest 7 1.1.1 Geology and landscape development 7 1.1.2 Climate 8 1.1.3 Soils 9 1.2 The Northern Black Forest 12 1.2.1 Geology and landscape development 12 1.2.2 Climate 12 1.2.3 Soils 13 1.3 The Upper Rhine Graben and the Kaiserstuhl 15 1.3.1 Geology and landscape development 15 1.3.2 Climate 16 1.3.3 Soils 17 1.4 The Cuesta Landscape with the Swabian Alb 19 1.4.1 Geology and landscape development 19 1.4.2 Climate 20 1.4.3 Soils 20 1.5 The Foreland of the Alps 22 1.5.1 Geology and landscape development 22 1.5.2 Climate 23 1.5.3 Soilscapes 23 1.6 The Valley of the Danube 25 1.6.1 Present day situation 25 1.6.2 Development of the Danube and Rhine River systems in SW Germany.. 28 1.7 History and land use 34 1.8 Occurrence and development of clay minerals in the environment of Southwest Germany 37 1.9 Fossil Soils, their distribution, genesis, stratigraphy and properties 41 1.9.1 The Quaternary paleosols of loess-paleosol sequences 42 1.9.2 The older (oldest - and pre-Quatemary) fossil paleosols 44 VI http://d-nb.info/1047231220 II. Excursions 45 1. Landscape history, soil development and paleolithic caves along the rivers Blau and Danube (03.10. and 05.10.2013) 47 1.0 Itinerary 47 1.1 Blautopf - English *Blue Pof (Site 1.1) 48 1.2 Paleolithic cave sites of the Ach Valley: Gei&enklSsterle (Site 1.2) 51 1.3 Paleolithic cave sites of the Ach Valley: Hohle Fels (Site 1.3) 57 1.4 Pleistocene paleo-meander of the Danube River (Site 1.4) 60 1.5 Paleosol loess sequence of Datthausen (Site 1.5) 62 1.6 Mt. Bussen (Site 1.6.1), Soils on Upper Freshwater Molasse (Site 1.6.2) and on penultimate gla'cial till (Site 1.6.3) 71 2. Soils and landscapes on Tertiary sediments in SW Germany (03.10.2013)79 2.0 Itinerary, the Tertiary in SW-Germany and the Molasse Basin 79 2.1 The ErmingerTurritella limestone (Site 2.1) 83 2.2 Tertiary fluvial sediments and soil development at Eggingen quarry (Site 2.2) 84 2.3 Sedimentary structures in the "Graupensandrinne" sand quarry Altheim and soil development in Pleistocene deposits on top (Site 2.3) 87 2.4 Soil development around the "Jagertiof I (Site 2.4) 89 2.5 Soil development around the "JSgerhof" II (Site 2.5) 92 2.6 Aderzhofen (Site 2.6) 94 2.7 Soils on Tertiary deposits around Mount Bussen (Site 2.7) 96 3. Meteoric crater of "Ndrdlinger Ries" (03.10. and 05.10.2013) 97 3.0 Itinerary 97 3.1 Nfirdlingen (Site 3.1) 99 3.2 The Ries (Site 3.2) 100 3.3 Bettendorf (Site 3.3): Calcic Vertisol from clayey Tertiary lalce sediments 105 3.4 Suevit quarry at AumQhie near Ottingen (Site 3.4) 108 3.5 Algalreef limestone at Hainsfarth sportsground (site 3.5) 109 3.6 Goldburghausen (Site 3.6): Rendzic Leptosol from freshwater limestone. 110 3.7 Goldburghausen (Site 3.7): Calcic Luvisol from freshwater limestone 112 3.8 Goldburghausen (Site 3.8): Terric Anthrosol from loess colluvial deposit .114 3.9 Goldburghausen (Site 3.9): Hemic Histosol from peat over marly mud of an ancient lake 117 3.10 The actual vegetation of Goldberg/Langenberg nature reserve and the surrounding (R. BOcker) 119 vn 4. Peatlands of Upper Swabia - Federsee Ried and Pfrunger-Burgweiler Ried (03.10.2013) 121 4.0 Itinerary 121 4.1 Federsee 121 4.2 The Pfrunger-Burgweiler Ried 127 5. Fen area of "Donauried" (03.10.2013) 134 5.0 Itinerary 134 5.1 Albeck (Site 5.1): Cutanic Luvisol developed from loess-loam 137 5.2 Niederstotzingen (Site 5.2): Luvic Endogleyic Phaeozem from silt-rich floodplain deposits 140 5.3 Langenau (Site 5.3): Sapric Histosol from fen peat 144 5.4 Hohlenstein (Site 5.4): Palaeolithic caves in the Lone Valley (C.-J. Kind). 147 5.5 Unterelchingen (Site 5.5): Gleyic Planosol from fine-grained floodplain deposits 151 5.6 Riedheim (Site 5.6): Fluvic Cambisol from sandy floodplain deposits 155 6. Valley development (Kocher, Brenz) and palaeosolls of the Swabian Alb (03.10.2013) 158 6.0 Itinerary 158 6.1 Cliff at Heldenfingen (Site 6.1) 159 6.2 Meteorite crater Steinheim Basin (Site 6.2) 160 6.3 Nattheim (Site 6.3): (weak Pisoplinthic) Endostagnic Alisol developed from strongly weathered limestone residuum (Bohnerzton) covered by a loess gelifluction layer 162 6.4 Valley development of Kocher and Brenz - Brenz spring (Site 6.4) 165 6.5 Ochsenberg (Site 6.5): Stagnic Albeluvisol from Loess with some limestone residuum 166 6.6 Oberkochen (Site 6.6): Albic Podzol from flint layer (residuum of Tertiary weathering) 169 6.7 Valley development of Kocher and Brenz - Kocher spring (Site 6.7) 172 6.8 Roman cavalry fort Aalen (Site 6.8): Limes Museum 174 6.9 Tauchenweiler (Site 6.9): Alisol over Cutanic Acrisol developed from flintstone-red loam covered by a loess gelifluction layer 176 III. Methods 179 1 Site description and soil classification 179 2 Soil description and soil data 179 IV. References 182 VIII .