Rügen Island, Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany

Massive pyrite nodule with a golden brown tarnish.

© Andreas Gerstenberg

The "Nationalpark Jasmund" at the north-eastern coast of Rügen is famous for its white chalk cliffs. This is a northward view of a small part of that coast, about 2km north of Sassnitz. The cliffs are made of rather soft Cretaceous chalk that contains a lot of black flint nodules with a white or gray rind that occur in bands that follow the ...

© Amir Akhavan

Below large parts of the cliffs is a wide terrace made of rounded flint nodules that weathered out of the chalk and accumulated at the beach. July 2013.

© Amir Akhavan

Land slides are common at the soft chalk cliffs, and when you walk along the coast, you can frequently see groups of dead trees on the beach. Once a rock fall has occured, the chalk will be eroded by the sea very quickly, and all that remains are dead trees, flint nodules and glacial erratics. The rock that builds up the cliffs is not very stable ...

© Amir Akhavan

The "Wissower Klinken" chalk rock cliff line, in 1940. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Julius Simonsen, Oldenburg/Holstein. G. Grundmann collection.

© Julius Simonsen, Oldenburg/Holstein.

The “Kreideschlemmerei” chalk elutriation plant (foreground), with Saßnitz villa quarter, in 1914. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz.

The “Kreidebruch” chalk quarry with villa quarter “Crampas-Sassnitz” local center, in 1902. Vintage picture postcard, photographer unknown. G. Grundmann collection.

© Günter Grundmann, Detmold.

The “Saßnitz Kreidebergwerk” chalk quarry with Sassnitz town in the distance, in 1933. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Stengel & Co., Leipzig. The card was sent on 8 August 1933 from Sassnitz to Berlin. G. Grundmann collection.

© Stengel & Co., Leipzig.

The “Sagard/Rügen – Kreidewerk Goldberg” chalk quarry with chalk elutriation plant, in 1928. Vintage picture postcard, photographer unknown. The card was sent on 16 August 1928 from Sagard to Berlin. G. Grundmann collection.

© Günter Grundmann, Detmold.

The “Sassnitz Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, in 1928. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer unknown. The card was sent on 3 June 1928 from Sassnitz to Wien. G. Grundmann collection.

© Günter Grundmann, Detmold.

The “Sassnitz Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, in 1937. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer E. Rubin, Lübeck. G. Grundmann collection.

© E. Rubin, Lübeck.

The “Sassnitz” chalk elutriation plant, in 1914. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Walter Krohss, Bergen. G. Grundmann collection.

© Walter Krohss, Bergen.

The “Saßnitz mit Kreidewerk” chalk quarry with chalk elutriation plant, ca. 1925. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Johannes Gloris, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Johannes Gloris, Sassnitz.

The “Saßnitz Kreideschlemmerei” chalk elutriation plant, in 1926. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Rügen-Verlag, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Rügen-Verlag, Sassnitz.

The “Kreidebruch am Crampasser Berg” chalk quarry with chalk elutriation plant (foreground), in 1914. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz.

The “Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, in 1914. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Walter Krohss, Bergen. G. Grundmann collection.

© Walter Krohss, Bergen.

The “Sassnitz Kreideschlämmerei” chalk elutriation plant, in 1935. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Paul Wilde, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Paul Wilde, Sassnitz.

The “Saßnitz Kreidewerk” chalk elutriation plant, in 1937. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Schöning & Co., Lübeck. G. Grundmann collection.

© Schöning & Co., Lübeck.

The “Saßnitz mit Kreidewerk” chalk quarry with chalk elutriation plant, ca. 1925. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Dr. Trenkler & Co., Leipzig. G. Grundmann collection.

© Dr. Trenkler & Co., Leipzig.

The “Saßnitz Kreidebergwerk” chalk quarry with Sassnitz town in the distance, ca. 1930. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Stengel & Co., Saßnitz. The card was sent on 17 June 1930 from Sassnitz to Leipzig. G. Grundmann collection.

© Stengel & Co., Saßnitz.

The “Saßnitz Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, in 1926. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Rügen-Verlag, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Rügen-Verlag, Sassnitz.

The “Sassnitz Kreidebergwerk” chalk quarry with Sassnitz town in the distance, ca. 1930. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Geyer & Co., Breslau. G. Grundmann collection.

© Geyer & Co., Breslau.

The “Saßnitz a. Rügen. Größter Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, ca. 1920. Vintage picture postcard, photographer Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz. G. Grundmann collection.

© Zobler & Wilde, Sassnitz.

The “Sassnitz Gemeinde-Kreidebruch” chalk quarry, in 1928. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Paul Wilde, Sassnitz. The card was sent on 3 June 1928 from Sassnitz to Wien. G. Grundmann collection.

© Paul Wilde, Sassnitz.

The “Saßnitz Kreidewerk” chalk quarry with elutriation plant, in 1937. Vintage real photo postcard, photographer Schöning & Co., Lübeck. G. Grundmann collection.

© Schöning & Co., Lübeck.