Cotta Sandstone
Encyclopedia
Cotta Sandstone is found in the Elbe Valley
and in its numerous tributary valleys. Its main deposit lies in the west of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
, where it runs up to the Bohemian border, ending south of Pirna
. It is named after the village of Cotta in the borough of Dohma
, an area where the stone is quarried.
, in the Lower Turonian
age. It is one of the Elbe sandstone
s and its colours range from whitish to grey and yellowish grey. In the south of the area Cotta Sandstone is medium-grained, whilst, in the north it is fine-grained. Around the village of Cotta itself the grain size is evenly-sized at 0.1 to 0.22 millimetres and only very rarely as large as 0.3 millimetres. The rock contains the smallest elements of mica minerals (glauconite
), decomposed feldspar
and carbon elements. The carbon particles are arranged in clearly recognisable veins. They occasionally resemble marble
textures.
The technical value of this natural stone varies considerably, because the quartz grains of Cotta Sandstone are frequentlysiliceously
bonded, but it has many unevenly divided deposits of the phyllosilicates, illite
and kaolinite
.
(Groß-Cotta), Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel
(in the villages of Gottleuba and Berggießhübel), Langhennersdorf, Rottwerndorf
, at Neundorf
and Lohmgrund south of Pirna
, in Gersdorf and Bahretal
(Ottendorf), and in the Krippenbach
valley. The quarrying of Elbe sandstone
s is made technically easier because of the separation of the beds with alternating outcrops and fissures, because the fissures are vertical and the beds run roughly at right angles to them. As a result it is possible to cut rectangular blocks of unfinished stone. The thickness of the quarry-able sandstone beds varies from a ½ to 3 metres. The thickness of the deposits of Cotta Sandstone ranges between 50 and 80 metres.
work and high-profile stonemasonry. It is especially used in restoration, but also in new structures. Its most important use is for sculptures.
Elbe valley
The Elbe Valley is most often used as a term for that section of the river valley in which most of the quarters of Dresden are located. The Dresden Elbe Valley was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 and has lost the title June 25, 2009 due to a dispute between UNESCO and the City of...
and in its numerous tributary valleys. Its main deposit lies in the west of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Elbe Sandstone Mountains
The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe sandstone highlands is a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-quarters of the area lying on the German side...
, where it runs up to the Bohemian border, ending south of Pirna
Pirna
Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...
. It is named after the village of Cotta in the borough of Dohma
Dohma
Dohma is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.- References :...
, an area where the stone is quarried.
Formation and properties
Cotta Sandstone was formed in the CretaceousCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, in the Lower Turonian
Turonian
The Turonian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the second age in the Late Cretaceous epoch, or a stage in the Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 93.5 ± 0.8 Ma and 89.3 ± 1 Ma...
age. It is one of the Elbe sandstone
Elbe Sandstone
Elbe Sandstone describes sandstones that naturally occur in North Bohemia and those parts of Saxony within the area around Dresden. It is named after the River Elbe, which cuts through the sandstone region in a transverse valley, the Elbe Valley Zone...
s and its colours range from whitish to grey and yellowish grey. In the south of the area Cotta Sandstone is medium-grained, whilst, in the north it is fine-grained. Around the village of Cotta itself the grain size is evenly-sized at 0.1 to 0.22 millimetres and only very rarely as large as 0.3 millimetres. The rock contains the smallest elements of mica minerals (glauconite
Glauconite
Glauconite is an iron potassium phyllosilicate mineral of characteristic green color with very low weathering resistance and very friable.It crystallizes with a monoclinic geometry...
), decomposed feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
and carbon elements. The carbon particles are arranged in clearly recognisable veins. They occasionally resemble marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
textures.
The technical value of this natural stone varies considerably, because the quartz grains of Cotta Sandstone are frequentlysiliceously
Silicic acid
Silicic acid is a general name for a family of chemical compounds of the element silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the general formula [SiOx4-2x]n...
bonded, but it has many unevenly divided deposits of the phyllosilicates, illite
Illite
Illite is a non-expanding, clay-sized, micaceous mineral. Illite is a phyllosilicate or layered alumino-silicate. Its structure is constituted by the repetition of tetrahedron – octahedron – tetrahedron layers. The interlayer space is mainly occupied by poorly hydrated potassium cations...
and kaolinite
Kaolinite
Kaolinite is a clay mineral, part of the group of industrial minerals, with the chemical composition Al2Si2O54. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina octahedra...
.
Extraction
The stone is quarried in DohmaDohma
Dohma is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.- References :...
(Groß-Cotta), Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel
Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel
Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel is a spa town in the district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. The municipality borders the Czech Republic in the south....
(in the villages of Gottleuba and Berggießhübel), Langhennersdorf, Rottwerndorf
Rottwerndorf
Rottwerndorf is a subdivision of the city of Pirna in the district of Sächsische Schweiz in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.The settlement was first noted in 1337 and possesses a fortress with a Renaissance-era portal from the 16th century. The area was mainly involved in agriculture and...
, at Neundorf
Neundorf (Pirna)
Neundorf is a subdivision of Pirna, Germany. It was incorporated into Pirna in 1922.It was mentioned in 1408.- People :Lydia Hörenz, artist...
and Lohmgrund south of Pirna
Pirna
Pirna is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, capital of the administrative district Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge. The town's population is over 40,000. Pirna is located near Dresden and is an important district town as well as a Große Kreisstadt...
, in Gersdorf and Bahretal
Bahretal
Bahretal is a place in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is not to be confused with Bahratal which is in Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel which is located SW of Pirna. It is located between the rivers Gottleuba and Dohna.Bahretal is shaped with a...
(Ottendorf), and in the Krippenbach
Krippenbach
Krippenbach is a river of Saxony, Germany....
valley. The quarrying of Elbe sandstone
Elbe Sandstone
Elbe Sandstone describes sandstones that naturally occur in North Bohemia and those parts of Saxony within the area around Dresden. It is named after the River Elbe, which cuts through the sandstone region in a transverse valley, the Elbe Valley Zone...
s is made technically easier because of the separation of the beds with alternating outcrops and fissures, because the fissures are vertical and the beds run roughly at right angles to them. As a result it is possible to cut rectangular blocks of unfinished stone. The thickness of the quarry-able sandstone beds varies from a ½ to 3 metres. The thickness of the deposits of Cotta Sandstone ranges between 50 and 80 metres.
General use
Formerly the sandstone quarried near Langhennersdorf, Berggießhübel and Gersdorf, which was larger-grained, was cut not only for use as building or sculpting stone, but also for millstones. Today (2008) Cotta Sandstone is used for solid window and door frames, sculptureSculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
work and high-profile stonemasonry. It is especially used in restoration, but also in new structures. Its most important use is for sculptures.
See also
- List of sandstones
- Posta SandstonePosta SandstonePosta Sandstone also called Wehlen Sandstone , only occurs on the eastern banks of the River Elbe at Alte Poste, near Herrenleithe, Wehlen, Zeichen and Posta. The thickness of the deposit is between 30 and 50 metres. It is also known as Überquader and has the smallest deposit of all the Elbe...
- Reinhardtsdorf SandstoneReinhardtsdorf SandstoneReinhardtsdorf Sandstone is quarried in the vicinity of Reinhardtsdorf near Pirna in the district of Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge in the German Free State of Saxony. It is the so-called main sandstone of the Elbe sandstones, and was formed in the Middle Turonian...
- Wehlen Sandstone
Sources
- W. Dienemann und O. Burre: Die nutzbaren Gesteine Deutschlands und ihre Lagerstätten mit Ausnahme der Kohlen, Erze und Salze, Enke-Verlag, Stuttgart 1929.
- Siegfried Grunert: Der Elbsandstein: Vorkommen, Verwendung, Eigenschaften. In: Geologica Saxonica Journal of Central European Geology 52/53 (2007), p. 143-204 (Digitalisat)