Secrets of the Interior of the Earth

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The old people’s dreams of flying to the Moon came true. There are even flights to Mars and more distant stars. Nevertheless, "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" still remains fiction. And because of the high pressures and temperatures prevailing in the deepest earth's interior, it will probably remain a fiction for a long time.

Still, the Czech-Bavarian Geopark invites you to learn about the authentic Earth's interior, whether inside the underground ore mine, in the rock cellar, or in a cave. And even though your path does not lead to dangerous depths of the Earth, simple entering and looking into the underground will stay an unforgettable experience.

Po staletí žije člověk z darů Země. Na zemském povrchu vznikají z hornin půdy, které jsou základem pro naší výživu. Ze zemského nitra získáváme nerostné bohatství. Suroviny jsou základem hospodářského rozvoje a našeho blahobytu. Proč jsou ale zrovna tady a ne jinde? A jak ovlivnila jejich těžba historii našeho regionu? V Česko-bavorském geoparku na to naleznete odpověď.

For centuries, mankind lives on Earth’s gifts. On the earth's surface, soil essential for our nutrition is created from the rocks. We gain mineral wealth from the Earth's interior. Raw materials are the basis of our economic development and prosperity. Why have they been right here and not somewhere else? What has been the impact of their mining on history of our region? The Czech-Bavarian Geopark is here to help you to find the answers.

The geological history of the Czech-Bavarian Geopark is as old as the history of the whole Central Europe. For the past 600 million years, the mountain ranges appeared and disappeared, volcanoes spewed fire and stones, sea levels came and receded. Geopark is located in the central zone of the once mighty Variscan mountains and its rocks tell about the adventurous journey of our continent from the South Pole to the Equator to the current 50th parallel of latitude. Hardly any area in Europe bears the comparison to the Czech-Bavarian Geopark.

That was also the reason why one of the deepest holes on the globe - Continental deep borehole KTB, was drilled in Bavarian Windischeschenbach. Looking to the depth of 9,101 meters opened up a whole new dimension of exploring the planet at the turn of the 21st century. Whatsoever, already two hundred years ago, our region was discovered by the pioneers of Geological Sciences: Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Alexander Humboldt and Georgius Agricola. In many places they left their footsteps - follow them up to the beginnings of the Geological Science.

"Geology" does not mean just millions-years-old stones. It also stands for the ongoing processes in the Earth's interior that differentiate our planet from other astronomical objects: Eger Rift uplift, rising magma, sprains or gaseous CO₂ to the volcanically active fields of typical earthquake swarms. All these processes endowed the Geopark with a charming diversity of the landscape, with extinct volcanoes and healing medicinal baths and mineral springs.

Discover the secrets and the beauty of our country and visit us in the Czech-Bavarian Geopark, the geological cross-border geopark in the geological centre of Europe!