Excavation house (Stöffel-Park)
| Excavation house (Stöffel-Park) | |
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| GeoStation at the GeoRoute Tertiär - Industrie - Erlebnis Stöffel-Route | |
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| usable QR-Codes | |
| direct QR-Code: | www.qltr.de/qrka0198 |
As early as the second half of the 19th century, the first fossils were discovered in the “leaf coal” at the Stöffel hill near Enspel. However, these finds were soon forgotten. It wasn’t until the 1980s that local schoolchildren accidentally rediscovered the fossil site.
The commercial extraction of basalt at Stöffel made this site accessible once again, offering a unique opportunity to delve into an ecosystem from approximately 25 million years ago, during the Upper Oligocene, a period of the Tertiary era.
The fossils were preserved in the oil shale deposits of a former crater lake. Such volcanic lakes, like the maars of the Eifel region, are distinctive landscape features and are often referred to as the “eyes of the Eifel.” 25 million years ago, these lakes were already filled with water and served as ideal "fossil traps." Dead organisms from the lake and its surroundings would sink to the bottom and remain exceptionally well preserved. This was due to the fact that these relatively small, deep, and enclosed lakes had very little water movement. Additionally, the oxygen-poor sediment at the lake bottom slowed the decomposition of organic material.
After approximately 220,000 years of existence, the lake was abruptly destroyed by a volcanic eruption. The large volume of magma released buried the deposits under a basalt layer up to 100 meters thick. This natural shield has protected the fossils from weathering and erosion to this day.
From 1990 to 2015, scientists conducted regular excavations at the Stöffel dig site to study the ancient ecosystem and the interactions between plants, animals, and their environment in detail.
During the excavations, the oil shale was carefully removed layer by layer, split open with knives, and every find, even the smallest ones, was meticulously documented. Significant specimens were transported in water buckets to the laboratory, where they were professionally prepared and preserved.
Larger fossils were extracted from the sediment using rock saws and chisels, then transported as intact blocks. Today, some of these finds—such as the cormorant shown in the adjacent photo—can be admired at the museum TERTIÄRUM in the Stöffel-Park.
Once quarrying operations are completed, much of the extraction site will be submerged under water, ensuring the long-term preservation of the fossil-rich oil shale. Future generations of researchers may be able to gain further fascinating insights into the Stöffel fossil site using new and advanced analytical methods.