Hastenrather Graben

Result of Tectonic Disturbances and Faults

The depression here, the “Hastenrather Graben”, is not just a valley through which the Omerbach flows. This depression did not form due to erosion caused by the Omerbach. It is rather the result of tectonic disturbances and faults, meaning interruptions of the undisturbed layer sequence caused by mountain movements.

The Hastenrather Graben is bounded in the northeast by the Omerbach fault and in the southwest by the Sandgewand fault. Between these two faults, the Hastenrather block has subsided by an average of about 40 m to 60 m over an area of 0.5 km2 compared to the surrounding level. Like almost all faults in the area, these are extremely water-bearing and posed a significant obstacle to local mining, as they could not be pierced (water influx).

Among the elevations visible on the opposite side, the area “Im Korkus” is of interest. In the forested area (far left in the picture), there is an ancient limestone quarry complex, where the remains of the shaft “Zur Guten Hoffnung” can still be seen, namely the brick ruins of the winding tower and the ventilation shaft. In 1880, an iron mine was opened here, but it was already closed again in 1884 after encountering a mining field that had already been exploited in antiquity, which still had partially well-preserved tunnels. These ore tunnels could be traced as far as Hamich and Wenau. The place name “Im Korkus” seems to be a corruption of “Im Kakus.” Kakus/Cacus was a fire-breathing giant and son of the Roman god Vulcanus. It is possible that the name of the adjacent district of Eschweiler, “Volkenrath,” can be explained as derived from “Vulcanus.” Since the local ending “-rath” relates to clearings, Volkenrath would mean the former settlement of “Clearing of Vulcanus.” Another theory connects the name Korkus with the Indo-European root *korko = swamp. In this area, there is also the water extraction facility “Hastenrather Graben,” consisting of 6 wells that were built between 1957 and 1967. The Hastenrather wells 3 to 6 still supply Eschweiler with drinking water today. Further towards Hamich (middle of the picture) is the Gressenicher Mühle, which first appeared on a map of the Reich Abbey Kornelimünster in 1646. The mill was designed as a grist mill, but operations were ceased in 1930. Today, the mill is privately owned.

Just before Hamich, a notable embankment can be seen: the Atzenau dump. The CRS slag (chunk slag from ferrochrome production) produced at the Weisweiler power plant is deposited here. Regular sampling and analysis of the groundwater are conducted in the area of the dump, which show no anomalies.

(Text & Photographic Material: Jens Mieckley)