The Mensinger Ravine () is a steep-sided valley in the
Wiehen Hills
The Wiehen HillsElkins, T.H. (1972). ''Germany'' (3rd ed.). London: Chatto & Windus, 1972. . (, , also locally, just ''Wiehen'') are a hill range in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony in Germany. The hills run from west to east like a long f ...
in Central Germany that is situated on the territory of the town of
Lübbecke
Lübbecke (; ) is a town in northeast North Rhine-Westphalia in north Germany. This former county town lies on the northern slopes of the Wiehen Hills (''Wiehengebirge'') and has around 26,000 inhabitants. The town is part of district of Minden- ...
in the district of
Minden-Lübbecke
Minden-Lübbecke is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the northeastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Diepholz (district), Diepholz, Nienburg (district), Nienburg, Schaumburg, Lippe, Herford (district), Herford, Osnabr ...
.
The ravine begins on the eastern slopes of the
Wurzelbrink
The Wurzelbrink is a hill south of Lübbecke which, at , is the second highest peak in the Wiehen Hills in north Germany. Immediately to the south is the no less majestic Kniebrink (315 m). There is an old and rather small watchtower, the '' ...
hill and runs northwards from there in a curve as far as the
B 239 federal road. The ravine is around 800 metres long. The valley floor in its upper section lies at a height of around and drops to {{Höhe, 150, DE-NN at the end of the valley, where the source of the
Ronceva stream is found. In the ravine itself, although it was formed by erosive influences, there is no permanent stream - only during heavy rainfall at the "upper reaches of the Ronceva", so to speak, does any water flow. The valley floor itself is impassable on foot in places. However, immediately to the east is a
forest track
left, alt=Pathway through forest., Concrete pathway through deep forest in India.
Forest tracks or forest roads are roads or tracks intended to carry motorised vehicles or horse-drawn wagons being used mainly or exclusively for forestry purposes, ...
, that enables the valley to be walked from end to end in 15 minutes. The ravine is forested throughout.
The Mensinger Ravine is a typical example of a ''Siepe'', a narrow, wet, ravine-like, V-shaped valley in higher hills or low mountains with a source stream. (in the East Westphalian region of
Ravensberg Land and in the Lipperland such a terrain feature is known as a ''Siek'').
The source streams in such a valley do not necessarily carry water all-year round, as in the case of that in the Mensiger Ravine, however, the stream is the reason the V-shaped valley was formed. It must however be taken into account for terrain shaping, that in the post
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
the water levels flowing out of the
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
s, including the Wiehen, were greater, so that streams were able to cut into the terrain much more than they do today. This is the reason the ravine is so deep despite the rather low levels of water flow on the ravine floor today.
See also
*
List of canyons
This list of canyons and gorges includes both land and submarine canyons with the land canyons being sorted by continent and then by country.
Africa
File:Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck - panoramio - Frans-Banja Mulder.jpg, Blyde River Canyo ...
External links
''Wanderung zum Wartturm Lübbecke''- walk with view of ravine.
''Wiehengebirge''with description of ravine and its origins.
Wiehen Hills
Lübbecke