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Draft:Oost Castle Quarry

Coordinates: 50°51′39.99″N 5°50′42.5″E / 50.8611083°N 5.845139°E / 50.8611083; 5.845139
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Panoramic view of the Groeve Kasteel Oost
Limestone wall of Groeve Kasteel Oost

The Groeve Kasteel Oost is a marl quarry and geological monument located in South Limburg, Netherlands, within the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul. This open-pit quarry is situated along Oosterweg, to the east of Valkenburg, on the southwestern edge of the Schaelsbergerbos forest, near the Geul river. The quarry is located at the foot of the Schaelsberg, in a steep slope on the southeastern edge of the Central Plateau.

To the west of the quarry stands Kasteel Oost. Approximately 500 meters to the southeast, near the Drie Beeldjes, is the Groeve bij de Drie Beeldjes, while about 125 meters to the northwest is the Oosterweggroeve I. Further to the north, at approximately 200 and 250 meters, are the Schaelsberggroeve and the Nevenschaelsberggroeve, respectively. Just south of the quarry is the Sint-Jansbron.

Geology

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The limestone in the quarry dates from the Upper Cretaceous period and belongs to the Valkenburg Member of the Maastricht Formation. This limestone is yellow-gray in color. A few meters below the bottom of the quarry lies the Lanaye Member of the Gulpen Formation, characterized by white limestone with black flint. The Lichtenberg Horizon separates these two limestone layers.[1]

In the South Limburg subsurface, the Maastricht limestone gradually transitions into Kunrader limestone, which consists of hard and soft limestone beds, moving from west to east. This transition is well observed in the quarry, as flint beds are nearly absent and the hard and soft limestone layers are faintly visible. The limestone in this transitional area is referred to as Schaelsberg limestone.[1]

See also

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  • List of geological monuments in South Limburg

50°51′39.99″N 5°50′42.5″E / 50.8611083°N 5.845139°E / 50.8611083; 5.845139

References

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  1. ^ a b Geological monuments in South Limburg (CD-ROM), P.W. Bosch, W.M. Felder, Netherlands Institute for Applied Geosciences TNO, 1999