Monte Kali
| Monte Kali | |
|---|---|
 Monte Kali and de hill | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 530 m (1,740 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 132 m (433 ft)  |
| Coordinates | 50°54′17″N 9°59′20″E / 50.90472°N 9.98889°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | Heringen, Hesse, Germany |
Monte Kali and Kalimanjaro are local colloquial names for the spoil heap or spoil tip that towers over the town of Heringen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of a number of sites where the K+S chemical company dumps sodium chloride (common table salt), a byproduct of potash mining and processing, a major industry in the area.
The names are puns of Kali (shorthand for Kalisalz, German for "potash") on "Monte Carlo" and "Kilimanjaro." The heap lies directly next to the border with the state of Thuringia, and hence next to the former inner German border with what was once East Germany.[2]
The heap rises over 200 metres (660 ft) above the surrounding land, its summit reaching 530 metres (1,740 ft) above sea level.[1] According to the Werra Potash Mining Museum in Heringen, Monte Kali has been in operation since 1976; as of January 2014, it covered 93 hectares (230 acres) and contained approximately 188 million tonnes of salt, with another 900 tonnes being added every hour and 6.4 million tonnes a year.[3]
Ecological impact
The amount of salt that goes to the region's soil and rivers is enormous. Due to the high salt levels, the surrounding soil has become virtually barren and only halophyte plants can grow there. The Werra river has become so salty (up to 2.5 g/L chloride ions, which is saltier than parts of the Baltic Sea) that few freshwater organisms can survive in it. The groundwater has become salty as well.[4] K+S are licensed to keep dumping salt at the facility until 2030.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Ungewöhnliche Bergtour mit Weitblick – Eine Besichtigung des Monte Kali" (in German). Stadt Heringen (Werra) – Tourismus [City of Heringen (Werra) – Tourism]. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ Monte Kali on Google Satellite Maps
- ^ a b "Information und Zahlen zum Monte Kali" (in German). Werra Kalibergbau Museum, Heringen. January 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kali Bergbau und Versalzung" (in German). Das Projekt Lebendige Werra (The Living Werra Project). Retrieved 2014-09-24.
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External links
Media related to Monte Kali at Wikimedia Commons
