Silver sand spring

The area between the Eschweilerhof and Abstäberhof was then moorland and marshland with many small ponds. Around 1800, it was gradually drained and the spring came to light.

Geologically, it is categorised as an "intermittent spring" from which water is thrown up from the ground at intervals, similar to a geyser. It emerges at a depth of around one metre in the bedrock. The spring water comes from fissures and from time to time whirls up the sand above. The constant repetition creates the pulsating movement of the sand. At the same time, dirt particles are flushed out of the sand, giving it its silvery appearance. The water output fluctuates depending on the groundwater abstraction in the meadow valley. Sometimes, especially in extremely hot and dry summers, the spring dries up completely.

The Silbersand spring is located at the intersection of two tectonic faults where the aquifer, the Middle Bunter Sandstone (Trifels and Rehberg Formation, Karlstal Formation), is separated into various offset clods. Water flows from these clods into the Mutterbach valley and can rise to the surface along the faults, which have a higher water permeability than the rest of the rock. The faults connect low-lying areas of the aquifer with higher pressure directly to the spring, so that the water emerges at the surface with a certain pressure. This results in the formation of small "sand volcanoes" at the bottom of the spring, from which grains of sand are constantly carried upwards.

Place of local legends

There are several legends surrounding the Silver Sand Spring, which have also influenced its name. One legend tells of a poor man who was walking through the forest, worried because he could not feed his family. He came across a strange little man, to whom he complained of his misery. The little man pointed out the shiny sand in the spring. The man believed that the sand would surely turn into real silver overnight and took a sack of it with him. The next morning, he was disappointed to find that nothing had happened. But when his wife saw the sand, she was delighted. She knew that the rich used such fine sand to polish their pewter crockery until it shone like silver. She sent her husband to fetch more sand from the spring to sell at the market and they no longer had to go hungry.