Sammlung geol.Führ.079 Mainzer Becken

Since the mid-19th century, the Mainz Basin, with its fossil-rich deposits, has been a popular excursion destination for both geologists and paleontologists, as well as interested amateurs. Approximately 150 years of geological research are documented in a multitude of publications, which today allow for a comprehensive reconstruction of the former depositional and living environment. The history of the Mainz Basin began around 45 million years ago with initial subsidence processes that affected the entire Upper Rhine Graben area. Throughout the Tertiary period, the region was repeatedly reached by marine incursions from both the North Sea Basin and the Paratethys – the Mediterranean area of that time.

This newly revised geological guide provides a detailed overview of the geological development of the Mainz Basin during the Tertiary and the subsequent Ice Age. The author's new proposals for the stratigraphic subdivision of the stratigraphic sequence are also presented. Twenty photographic plates depict numerous fossils found in the Tertiary deposits, such as foraminifera, ostracods, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, mollusks, snails, as well as vertebrates and plants.

Over 100 localities where insights into Earth’s history are possible are described in stratigraphic order – from the oldest to the younger units. A total of seven proposals invite full-day excursions to various regions of the Mainz Basin; however, the excursion points can also be visited individually.

The volume is aimed at geologists and paleontologists, as well as anyone who is fascinated by the Tertiary and Quaternary developmental history of the region, the fossils of the Mainz Basin, and the diversity of geology in general.