Hangender Stein

A view down from the Zollerngraben 

Deep cracks and fissures at the Hanging Rock bear witness to the fact that a slow but unstoppable geological process is underway here: Masses of rock repeatedly break away from the edge of the steep escarpment, the so called “Albtrauf”, and plunge into the depths. In this way, the north-western edge of the Alb gradually recedes
over millions of years.

High up on the edge of the eaves, a breathtaking panoramic view opens up, but the most unusual feature of this place remains hidden from most visitors: The Raichberg lies in the middle of - or rather on - the Zollerngraben, a tectonic structure around 30 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide.

The unusual fact that the graben is now higher than its surroundings can be explained by a geological phenomenon called relief inversion.
Harder limestone layers of the Late Jurassic protected areas of the underlying soft layers of the Middle Jurassic. A particularly impressive example of this phenomenon is the witness mountain, on which Hohenzollern Castle is enthroned – it is also located in the area of the Zollerngraben.

The frequent earthquakes in the region are related to a complex fault structure known as the Albstadt-
shear zone. The Zollerngraben was created by the effects of tensile forces in this zone.