The nature reserve of Schlangenberg which means snake-mountain is located in the west of Germany close to the Dutch and Belgian border. The reserve is near the village Breinigerberg, 15 kilometres from Aachen or 7 kilometres distant from the city of Stolberg (Rhineland). Schlangenberg itself is a small hill peaking 276 m above sea level.
The 108 hectares large area is famous for its calamine flora.
The soil of the nature reserve is basically limestone which was precipitated about 400 million years ago by an ancient ocean. In the following million years geological movements carried it to the surface where erosion removed large amounts. About 200 million years ago aqueous metal solutions filled the cavernous rocks. Primary ores were created mostly consisting of Sphalerite, Marcasite and Galena. The process continued and the ore close to the surface decomposed due to the influence of carbon dioxide and water. In this process as a secondary ore calamine ZnCO3 which is known as calamine developed.
Presumably the Celts had been the first digging for the calamine in the region. Ancient Celtic and Roman coins dated between 100 BC and 92/93 AD as well as remains of a Roman settlement proved the interest in the ore which was mostly used for weapons and vessels.
The greatest interest in calamine had been in the 18th century when brass manufactures settled in Stolberg (Rhineland). For the production of the alloy they needed large amounts of calamine which was melted together with copper.
Before 1800 digging small reaching only surface based ore was the only technique available to the miners. In the 19th century mining changed and more than 20 adits enabled the workers to reach calamine up to 105 m below the surface. During this time the Schlangenberg-area was perforated like a Swiss cheese. More than 700 miners worked at the mining shafts. During this time calamine was spread in the whole area and the poisonous metals zinc and lead contaminated large areas.
In 1871 the Franco-prussian war stopped working on the ore fields and after an attempted restart mining was given up 1883. A renaturation of the Schlangenberg was never attempted. For many years it was even used by the military for their maneuvers.
Nature regained control of the Schlangenberg and in 1990 the Schlangenberg Nature Reserve was founded to protect the unique calamine flora and fauna from destruction.
The soil of the nature reserve contains large amounts of calamine, poisonous for most plants. Only specialist plants are able to grow under these conditions. Therefore, the flora is unique to calamine and can only be found in a few other areas worldwide.
The most typical plants are Viola calaminaria and Thlaspi calaminare. Many tourists visit the reserve for these flowers each year.
Beside these plants other specialists found on the toxic floor are: Armeria maritima ssp. elongata, Festuca aquisgranensis, Silene vulgaris ssp. humilis or Minuartia verna ssp. hercynica.
On some hidden parts of the reserve orchids like the dark red helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens) the fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) and many others grow year by year.
The Schlangenberg reserve is famous for its butterflies. More than 300 different kinds have been found there. Some have specialist on calamine resistant plants. Endangered locusts like the wart-biters belong to the important animals.
The Coronella austriaca that give the Schlangenberg its name (snake-mountain) can occasionally be found in the reserve.
The woodlark, an endangered species in Germany, as well as the red-backed shrike live in the reserve in large quantities.
The Biologischen Station im Kreis Aachen e. V. a governmental group of environmental specialists has tried to resettle the yellow-bellied toad.
Although the toxic ground prevents most plants from growing in this area some seems to be resistant to the poison. Pines would destroy most of the nature reserve within a short time and the Biologischen Station im Kreis Aachen e. V. together with volunteers spent a lot of time cutting pines and reducing their numbers.
The attractive flora and fauna also causes problems as the visitors of the nature reserve destroy al lot by leaving the hiking trails.
To deliver further information to the interested visitors a local group had founded a museum presenting detailed information about the Schlangenberg, its past as a mining area, exhibits of animals and flowers as well as plenty of photos.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naturschutzgebiet Schlangenberg . |
The Ore Mountains or Ore Mountain Range in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for around 800 years, from the 12th to the 20th centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range. The highest peaks are the Klínovec, which rises to 1,244 metres (4,081 ft) above sea level and the Fichtelberg.
Mining engineering is an engineering discipline that applies science and technology to the extraction of minerals from the earth. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, Exploration, Excavation, geology, and metallurgy, geotechnical engineering and surveying. A mining engineer may manage any phase of mining operations – from exploration and discovery of the mineral resource, through feasibility study, mine design, development of plans, production and operations to mine closure.
Stora Karlsö is an island off the west coast of Gotland, Sweden; part of Eksta socken. It is mostly known for its rich birdlife with large colonies of common guillemot, and flora. Stora Karlsö is a nature reserve, the second oldest in the world after Yellowstone National Park.
The Geul is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands, where it is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse.
Kuduremukha(Kannada :ಕುದುರೆಮುಖ) is a mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station cum mining town situated near the mountain, about 48 kilometres from Karkala and around 20 kilometres from Kalasa. The name Kuduremukha literally means 'horse-face' (Kannada) and refers to a particular picturesque view of a side of the mountain that resembles a horse's face. It was also referred to as 'Samseparvata', historically since it was approached from Samse village. Kuduremukha is Karnataka's 2nd highest peak after Mullayangiri. The nearest International Airport is at Mangalore which is at distance of 99 kilometres.
Springbok is the largest town in the Namaqualand area in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It was called Springbokfontein, until 1911, when it was shortened to Springbok. Springbok is located on the N7 national route which connects the Cape with Namibia, and at the western end of the N14, which connects it with Upington and Pretoria. It is the main town of the Nama Khoi Local Municipality, which also includes a number of surrounding towns such as Okiep and Nababeep.
Ham Hill is an area of chalk downland in Wiltshire, England, on the steep banks running alongside the road from the village of Ham to Buttermere, close to the Berkshire border. A biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, notified in 1971, covers 1.5 hectares of the site; this designation is due to the site's species-rich plant and insect communities, which include some rare species. Notable among these is the musk orchid, which has been confirmed at only one other site in Wiltshire.
Altlay is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Zell, whose seat is in the municipality of Zell an der Mosel.
Perscheid is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde of Sankt Goar-Oberwesel, whose seat is in the town of Oberwesel.
Singapore has a wide variety of flora. Plants are mainly used to beautify the landscape of Singapore. The national flower is a hybrid orchid, Vanda Miss Joaquim.
Marietta, Nevada, was a town in Mineral County, Nevada. It is now a ghost town.
Goravan Sands Sanctuary, is a state protected area in Ararat Province, Armenia.
Büsbach is the largest of 17 districts and villages belonging to the German town of Stolberg (Rhineland).
The Burrinjuck Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve on the south west slopes of New South Wales, Australia. The 5,250-hectare (13,000-acre) reserve is located adjacent to the Burrinjuck Dam, with 5,118 hectares of the reserve located on the northern side of the reservoir, and the remaining 89 hectares located on the southern side of the reservoir to the northeast of Black Andrew Nature Reserve. It includes land formerly managed as the Burrinjuck State Forest and Burrinjuck State Recreation Area.
Eilendorf is a district of Aachen, Germany, that has around 15000 inhabitants. The communities of Eilendorf and Nirm share a border with the other Aachen districts of Brand, Aachen-Mitte, and Haaren, as well as the district of Atsch in Stolberg.
Madan-e Nakhlak is a village in Chupanan Rural District, Anarak District, Nain County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 55, in 52 families.
Stolberg Zinc joint-stock company for mining and smelter operations in Aachen, or Stolberg Zinc Mines GmbH, is a metal mining concern in the Aachen region and specifically in the area of Eschweiler-Stolberg, with headquarters in Stolberg.
The mining industry of Morocco is important to the national economy. Morocco is the world's second largest producer of phosphate, and contains about 75% of the world's estimated reserves. Mining contributed up to 35% of exports and 5% of GDP in 2011. Foreign investors have found the investment climate, the infrastructure, fiscal situation, and political stability very favorable to continue business in the country in this sector.
Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows is a 117-hectare (290-acre) nature reserve in Northamptonshire, owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. The character of the reserve is defined by flooded gravel pits and wet grassland, providing an excellent habitat for large variety of wetland flora and fauna.