The Laacher See Caldera

tephra from the Laacher See eruption at the Wingertsbergwand, a quarry near the caldera

the highest trephra deposits in Europe (> 40 m)

information over the Lacher See eruption

volcanic stone quarry near the caldera

Rolf before the "Wingertsbergwand"

The Laacher See volcano forms a volcanic caldera in the Eifel mountain range. It is part of the area called "East Eifel volcanic field".The lake lies 259 m above sea level, is 8 km in circumference, and surrounded by a ring of high hills. The water is blue, very cold and bitter to the taste. The lake has no natural outlet. The caldera was formed after the colossal Laacher See eruption dated to 12,900 years ago. The remaining crust collapsed into the empty magma chamber below, probably two or three days after the eruption. With an estimated 6 km³ of magma erupted, ^{this massive eruption had a VEI of 5. Tephra deposits from the eruption dammed the Rhine, creating a 140 km2 lake. When the dam broke, an outburst flood swept downstream, leaving deposits as far away as Bonn.}