Elmstein valley
| Elmstein valley | |
|---|---|
| Elmsteiner Tal (German) | |
Village and ruined castle of Elmstein
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 Elmstein valley
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| Floor elevation | 170 m |
| Long-axis length | 24 km |
| Depth | 300 m |
| Geology | |
| Type | Bunter sandstone |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 49°20′48″N 7°56′52″E / 49.34667°N 7.94778°ECoordinates: 49°20′48″N 7°56′52″E / 49.34667°N 7.94778°E |
| Mountain range | central Palatine Forest |
| Watercourses | Speyerbach and tributaries |
The Elmstein valley (German: Elmsteiner Tal) runs through the central Palatine Forest region between the villages of Frankeneck and Johanniskreuz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The Speyerbach stream, a left tributary of the Rhine, flows through the valley.
Most of the Elmstein valley lies within the county of Bad Dürkheim; two smaller segments belong to Neustadt an der Weinstraße and the county of Südliche Weinstraße. The valley is 24 kilometres long and descends from west to east from about 470 to 170 metres above sea level.
The Speyerbach stream flows through the Elmstein valley. Together with its tributary streams, the biggest of which are the Helmbach and the Breitenbach, the Speyerbach drains the winding valley and the heights surrounding it.
The hills on the left-hand or northern side of the valley reach a maximum height above sea level of 514 metres in the Mückenberg and are clearly lower than those opposite. On the right hand, southern, side the Bloskülb (570 m) and the Brogberg (567 m) are the highest peaks. The highest point in the west, also the start of the valley, lies on the watershed between the Rhine and Moselle rivers, separating here the catchment areas of the Speyerbach and Schwarzbach. In the east the valley ends at the confluence of the Hochspeyerbach with the Speyerbach.
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Wikipedia