Böhmisches Massiv

Bohemian Massif, geological term for the granite part of the ancient Central European bedrock (types of granite: Weinsberg, Mauthausen, Eisgarn; also gneiss and crystalline slate), which comprises southern Bohemia, western Moravia and the northern part of Austria. At some places, the massif reaches across the Danube towards the south, thus narrowing the Danube valley and creating picturesque stretches of land: Sauwald region, Kürnberger Wald mountain, Neustadtler Platte plateau, Strudengau mountains, Hiesberg mountain and Dunkelsteiner Wald hills. The Bohemian massif has eroded to form a wavy central block which is some 100 m higher than the surrounding area. Along this block runs the main Central European watershed; it also comprises the only areas in Austria (apart from Vorarlberg, which drains towards the Rhine) where rivers and streams do not flow into the Danube. Towards the south and the east, the Bohemian Massif forms a flat stretch underneath the younger stones of the Molasse Zone and further on disappears far beneath the Limestone Alps. At a drilling at Berndorf, the Bohemian massif was discovered to continue at 5,945 m beneath the ground.

Literature: G. Fuchs and A. Matura, Die Böhmische Masse in Österreich, in: R. Oberhauser (ed.), Der geologische Aufbau Österreichs, 1980.