Alpilakopf

General information:

At 2,078 meters above sea level, the Alpilakopf is the highest point on the trail. You get a great view of the Klosteraler Alps, the Lechquellen mountain range, the Verwall and the Rätikon. To the west you can see Itonskopf which is breaking apart due to the forces of gravity.

On the plate you can see the model of the Itonskopf-mass movement. Deep fissures divide the mountain into several blocks that rotate to the right in the direction of the Kloster Valley. The entire mountain ridge fans out like the pages of an open book. Rainfall, melting snow and gravity contribute to the movement of the blocks down to the valley floor as shown on plate 7 (Davenna mass movement). In addition, the dissolution of gypsum in the underground increases the velocity of the mass movement. At a certain point of instability parts of the rock face come down as rock fall like what happened in December 2006 when the road on the valley floor was endangered by the falling rocks.

If you want to get an impression of the dissolution of gypsum which then results in the development of sink holes you should walk down to the  Bomatschies Forest near Küngs Maisäss or May field. It’s about a 20 minute walk from plate 15 on the geology trail. The Bomatschies Forest is quite unique, and has been classified as a preservation area. The trees grow directly on gypsum and sometimes they lose their underground support and fall into the sink holes. The roots of the trees seem to have adapted to gypsum because when it rains on gypsum, sulphuric acid develops.

While walking downhill and keeping to the east, the rock begins to change just a little below the peak, because you cross the boundary from the Hauptdolomite to the next younger Kössen formation which consists mainly of marls and clay stones with some intercalated fossil reefs.