Geopark Ries, Meteorite crater geopark in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Geopark Ries is a protected nature reserve spanning across Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg that features a massive crater basin at its center. The basin displays the distinct structure of a meteorite impact with sloping edges and a flatter depression in the middle.
About 15 million years ago, an asteroid roughly one kilometer across struck this location and created one of Europe's largest preserved impact craters. The event permanently shaped the landscape and made it a key location for meteorite science.
Communities around the crater have maintained their own local dialects that reflect generations of life in this distinctive landscape. Visitors can hear these speech patterns in small villages and when talking with residents.
The area features marked trails that lead to viewpoints where visitors can observe the crater structure from different angles. Information centers throughout the region offer good starting points to understand the geological processes that shaped this landscape.
The area contains Suevite, a special rock that forms during meteorite impacts and contains dark gray melt particles. Scientists worldwide use this material as evidence to identify meteorite impacts at other locations.
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