Salzkammergut

So my students and I spent the last week in Erlangen, Germany, hanging out with my colleague Wolfgang Kiessling and talking about reefs and statistics. While this week was scientifically exciting, There aren't too many exciting stories or photos to go along with it. Regardless, you should check out Wolfgang's AMAZING reef database, the PaleoReefs Database (or PARED).

http://www.paleo-reefs.pal.uni-erlangen.de/

Enter the weekend.... On Friday we were in Erlangen and today we are in Slovenia. On the way we drove through the Alps and stayed for one night in my old stomping grounds -- the Salzkammergut region of Austria.

First we stopped at the Adnet quarries. My favorite quarry cuts right through a late Triassic coral reef!

 Even the floor of the quarry is awesome! All those little dark spots are coral branches.

It is truly amazing how much you can see; all the little white flecks in the red are corals (or sponges, or shells, but mostly corals)!

Just look at that wall!

 My student, Anna, for scale...

Such gorgeous slabs!

One of the other quarries has an awesome Triassic-Jurassic boundary section. Well... the section doesn't have a great paleo record for the boundary (since there is a time gap), but it sure is clear where the boundary is!

After Adnet, we decided to try Hallstat again.... there was still some rain, but this time the weather got better! So up to the top we went!

Wet down in the valley....

and at the top...

Just hanging out on the cantilever lookout!

No, YOU'RE great Salt dude!

Clearing out....

 Wet but having fun!

Time for a rainbow!

This town is so gorgeous!

On Sunday we woke up to sun (YAY!)

Time for a hike around Gosausee (Gosau Lake)

Looking back at the Chalet.

So much glacial runoff!

Contemplating that nice glacier!

Don't fall in climbers!

Just like Corben Dallas, this area is SUPA GREEN!

After our hike we drove to Slovenia.... so much rock!

 More on Slovenia next time!