Geology is not for the faint hearted! Ocean basins are pulled apart and disappear again, continents move and collide, mountain chains uplift and are then eroded, a rising sea level submerges land under water around the world, volcanic super-eruptions lead to global temperature falls, asteroids collide with the earth and thereby erase nearly all lifeforms. Geology tells the Long history of the Earth, it shows us what has happened on our planet and what can still happen in the future. The rocks are the only archive where this history is recorded. This book invites you to browse the rock archive around Salzburg. 38 excursions lead us through 260 million years of the Earth History of the Salzburg and Upper Bavarian area. It took this length of time to give this magnificent landscape ist present appearance. The large variety of marine and terrestrial deposits which accumulated during this long time span make the Salzburg area a prime destination for the understanding of geological processes. Additionally, the geological heritage was an essential prerequisite for many cultural achievements in Salzburg. Numerous colour photos stimulate one's curiosity and a variety of topographical maps make it easy to find the most striking geological features in the surroundings of Salzburg. Access to these areas by public transport is particularly indicated. The excursions lead us throughout Salzburg and Upper Bavaria. But for over 450 years, until the year 1803, most of the sites presented here formed part of the Prince-bishopric of Salzburg and so they are linked not only by their geological, but also by political and cultural history.

1960 in Elsbethen bei Salzburg geboren. Nach dem Abschluss des Studiums der Geologie und Paläontologie und mehreren Auslandsaufenthalten begann er 1990 seine berufliche Karriere an der Geologischen Bundesanstalt in Wien. Er ist dort heute Leiter der Abteilung für Paläontologie und Stratigraphie. Schwerpunkte seiner wissenschaftlichen Arbeit sind die geologische Erforschung der nördlichen Ostalpen und die zeitliche Einstufung von Gesteinen mit Nannofossilien. Zahlreiche seiner bislang rund 170 wissenschaftlichen Publikationen beschäftigen sich mit der Geologie der Umgebung der Stadt Salzburg.