CHRONOMOVE

Inventory and chronology of mass movements in the Black Forest

Gravitational mass movements such as landslides, rockfalls or debris flows repeatedly cause significant economic and social damage. In the steep valleys of the Black Forest, the highest mountain range in Germany, no year passes without such movements threatening infrastructure such as roads, railway tracks, or hiking trails.

These events are often triggered by intense precipitation, the frequency and intensity of which are changing due to climate change. However, other factors, such as seismic activity, glacially oversteepened slopes and ongoing weathering of bedrock, also play an important role as preparatory conditions and potential triggers of mass movements.

Although recent events are systematically documented and the locations of some prehistoric mass movements are recorded in geological maps, there is currently no comprehensive and detailed inventory of mass movements in the Black Forest. However, a robust chronology and analysis of the spatial distribution of these events could make a significant contribution to understanding the future hazard potential and at the same time provide insights into landscape evolution since the end of the last Ice Age.

The aim of the research project is to systematically record mass movements in the Black Forest and analyse their triggering conditions. By combining remote sensing analyses, geomorphological field mapping and geochronological methods, the project aims to make an initial contribution towards a robust database on mass movements in the Black Forest.

At the end of October 2025, the fieldwork began. In close collaboration with geological working groups, initial geophysical measurements were carried out using electrical resistivity tomography to investigate the internal structure of the mass movements. At the same time, samples were taken from three mass movements in the Zastler and St. Wilhelm valleys in the southern Black Forest to determine their age. The samples are currently being carefully processed in the laboratory and prepared for further analysis.

Hagenbach L., Blöthe J., Preusser F., Hofmann F. M. : CHRONOMOVE – Chronology and Inventary of Mass Movements in the Black Forest, Germany. Conference poster Geo4Göttingen, 2025. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22515.80166