Schwarzerdeprofil Asel, Soil profile monument in Harsum, Germany.

The Schwarzerdeprofil Asel is a soil profile monument displaying multiple layers stacked vertically to a depth of about 1.2 meters. The exposed section clearly shows dark humic soil on top, followed by yellow-ochre loess, with gray-brown clay at the base.

The soil formation developed after the last Ice Age under continental climate conditions. However, the deepest clay layers originated much earlier, approximately 110 million years ago, during the Lower Cretaceous period when very different geological processes were at work.

In 2004 the Schwarzerde was named Soil of the Year 2005, prompting the Hildesheim district to make the protected section visible for teaching, research and the public. The walk-in display pit was created then and framed in concrete with a cover in 2008. Students from Lower Saxony universities visit it on excursions, and lacquer profiles of the Asel black earth are held in Wageningen and Hannover.

Access to the profile is provided by a secured metal staircase with handrails, and information panels at the site explain the geological features. Plan your visit for dry weather conditions, as wet soil can affect both safety and visibility of the layers.

Lack profiles of the Asel black earth are held by the Hildesheim district authority, the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology in Hanover and the international soil museum in Wageningen, Netherlands. A profile from the Asel forest, one of the few German forests on black earth, is in the local museum in Borsum.