Tennengebirge - Karst and Caves

The Tennengebirge mountain range is part of the nature reserve and European protected area of Salzburger Kalkhochalpen (Salzburg Calcareous Alps). The approx. 60 sq. km. large mountain group consists of a vast plateau with some steep walls. The highest peak is the Raucheck (2,430 m). In the Ore of the Alps UNESCO Global Geopark, the community of Hüttau is part of this massif.

The base of the Tennengebirge range is formed by the Ramsaudolomit (Ramsau dolomite formation), on top of which is the layered (banked) Dachstein limestone. The former consists of tidal sediments, the latter of those deposited in the subsequent shallow lagoon of a tropical sea in the Middle to Upper Triassic. Because of this, countless fossils can still be found today on the plateau surface, for example, megalodonts.

The plateau surface is heavily karstified. Depending on the altitude, you will find sinkholes, grooves and/or fissures. The rainwater drains into rocky crevices, resulting in caves such as the Eisriesenwelt in Werfen. On some peaks there are scattered "eye stones". These are stream pebbles deposited by streams and rivers before the mountain massif was uplifted.