Larkhills

Striking basalt formation

Hiking from the Wasserkuppe to the Pferdskopf , you pass the Lerchenküppel. This striking basalt formation rises up on the southwest slope of the Wasserkuppe.

Two benches invite visitors to linger. An information panel provides those interested in geology with interesting facts about the formation of the Lerchenküppel hill.

This is the base of a volcano. A closer look at the rock face reveals the platy arrangement of the joints. This suggests that the basalt eruption had already degassed and cooled, and therefore must have occurred relatively late.

This is the plug that had become stuck in the volcanic root.

Lerchenküppel is the Hessian Geotope of the Year 2014

The Hessian State Office for Environment and Geology awarded the rock, also known as "Lerchenkopf", the title of "Hessian Geotope of the Year" in 2014.

The Lerchenküppel (also known as the "Good Friday Stone" or "Stone Hill") is a small rock, approximately 4 meters high and about 10 meters wide at its base. It consists of a primitive basanite from the post-volcanic phase of the Middle Miocene, dated by Lippolt (1982) to 14 million years old using the K/Ar method. Unlike the Fliegerdenkmal (Aviator Memorial), however, it lacks olivine nodules. The absence of columnar development is striking in its external appearance. Instead, an onion-skin-shaped, platy outgrowth is visible on the western side. This type of outgrowth is primarily found in relatively viscous melts.

(Source: Hessian State Office for Environment and Geology)