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Eifel volcanic field (Germany): Laacher See caldera, ignimbrite, gas emissions July 2008
A powerful Plinian explosive volcanic eruption took place about 13,077 years ago (or at about 11,057 BC) at the Laacher See caldera in the Eifel (western Germany). It was one of Central Europe's largest eruptions during the past 100,000 years and ejected around 20 cubic kilometers of ash and pumice into an eruption column that rose to at least 20 km height, comparable to the Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991.
The Laacher See is considered dormant today. Signs of volcanic life can be found at the lake shore in form of CO2 emissions.
The products of the eruption 13,000 years ago left thick deposits of pumice and welded ignimbrite, that has been used as building material since Ancient times. Here are some impressions of the area, taken during a series of excursions:
View to the crater lake of Laacher See caldera in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Eurasian coot at the crater lake Laacher See in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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View to the calm waters of the Laacher See crater lake in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Bubbles of carbon dioxide at the Laacher See in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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The mofetta ath the volcano crater lake Laacher See in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Bubbles of carbon dioxide from the magma chamber of the Laacher See volcano in Germany. (Photo: Tobi... [
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Carbon dioxide from the Laacher See volcano in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Carbon dioxide bubbles from the 13000 years old Laacher See volcano in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schor... [
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If you hike on the edge of the Laacher See, you come to a place where the water seems to be boiling.... [
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Nowhere do you get as close to the active volcanism of the Eifel as at the Laacher See! (Photo: Tobi... [
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A fisherman on the crater lake of Laacher See volcano. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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A fisherman on the crater lake of Laacher See volcano. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Clods of lava that were thrown from the crater of the Laacher See during the volcanic eruption 13,00... [
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Today it is a calm lake. 13000 ago one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in Europe took place here! ... [
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The fields around the volcanic crater lake Laacher See in Germany. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Old machines that were used to process basalt. Ettringer Ley quarry. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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The famous Wingertsberg quarry wall, where you can find rare minerals. One of the type localities fo... [
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The Roman tuff quarry Meurin and an reconstruction image of the work there. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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Steps that the miners in the tuff quarry in Meurin could use to get to their workplaces. (Photo: Tob... [
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Reconstruction in the tuff quarry of Meurin. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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A tree trunk charred by the volcanic eruption in the Roman mine in Meurin. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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The Roman tuff quarry at Meurin/Eifel. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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A Roman workplace where the tuff was chiseled into stone, which was used for construction. (Photo: T... [
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A Roman workplace in the Meurin quarry. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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A Roman quarry has been opened to visitors near the village of Meurin. Here you can study how stones... [
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The museum site in Meurin with the tuff quarry from Roman times. (Photo: Tobias Schorr) [
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A nice image that shows the many cinder cones of volcanoes in the eastern Eifel region in Germany. (... [
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The volcanological museum in the village Strohn. https://www.museumsportal-rlp.de/museen/vulkanhaus-... [
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