TheCentral Uplands[1][2] (German:die Mittelgebirge[3]) is one of the three majornatural regions of Germany. It stretches east to west across the country. To the north lies theNorth German Plain orNorthern Lowland; to the south, theAlps and theAlpine Foreland.[1]
The German Central Uplands, like the Scandinavian and British mountain ranges and theUrals, belong to the oldest mountains of Europe, even if their present-day appearance has only developed relatively recently. In theCarboniferous, i.e. about 350 million years ago,Variscan mountain ranges were formed in central Europe by the uplifting caused by tectonic plate collision. Immediately after their formation the erosion of the mountains began under the influence of exogenous processes during thePermian period.During theTriassic period, which began about 225 million years ago, what is now central Europe was sometimes above and sometimes below sea level. As a result, there are various layers of sedimentary rock in the Central Uplands: in most casesnew red sandstone has been laid down as the terrestrial layer of rock andkeuper andmuschelkalk as marine sedimentary layers. TheJurassic period primarily saw the formation oflimestone, whilstchalk was the main deposition from theCretaceous period.
With the beginning of theCenozoic era, some 70 million years ago, the process of erosion of the Hercynian mountain ranges changed. During theTertiary,alpidic mountain building took place, in the course of which strong forces deformed the stumps of the Hercynian mountains. As these rocks were already folded, further tension led to cracks and fractures, which in turn createdfault blocks. These blocks were later uplifted (forminghorsts such as theHarz), or downfaulted (trough faults orgraben such as theUpper Rhine Valley) or thrust over one another (tiltedfault blocks such as theOre Mountains). Thus the German Central Uplands exhibit the widest variety of forms, something that is also attributable to the erosion of sediments from theMesozoic (Triassic,Jurassic andCretaceous). In some ranges the sediments have been relatively well-preserved, in others they have been carried away completely. The determining factor is the local intensity of exogenous processes.
The table lists the ranges peaking over 300 m above sea level widely seen as part of the Central Uplands. The coordinates are of the respective peaks. Many of the uplands overlap. The ranges are listed by height.
Media related toMittelgebirge at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofMittelgebirge at Wiktionary
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