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Obere Wies

Obere Wies is the scenic point at plate 13 describing the Kloster valley, the chains of the Klostertal Alps and the Lechquellen mountain range. In the lower part of the pedestal you will find a second plate that explains the Koessener Layers. The Koessener Layers are exposed in the rocky hill to the south which is protected by national law.

The Geology of the Kloster Valley

From plate 13 you get a view east to the Arlberg with its green and wooded slopes. The underground consists of Silvretta Crystalline gneisses at the southern flank of the valley and the rugged steep slopes of the Northern Calcareous Alps at the northern flank of the valley.

The Kloster Valley

One can easily see how the steep slopes are furrowed by deeply cut gullies. Debris flows from these gullies have been looming above the settlements and the roads built on the debris cones in the valley since people began to settle here are still a threat.

The Koessen Formation

Here one finds the most beautiful reef fossils. The landscape and the submarine life of those times were similar to the ones in Hurghada on the Red Sea or the Great Barrier Reef next to Australia. Look closely at the exposed reef patch in the green meadow south of the plate. Please respect the fact that it is protected by law so that no fossils or rock samples may be taken away

Living conditions at the time of the deposit of the Koessen formation

The landscape and the underwater world of 200 millions years ago was similar to what you can see today in Hurghada on the Red Sea or in Thailand and on Bali. The location of this small reef 1,880 m above sea level, and 2,000 km north of today’s most northern reef is impressive proof of the impermanence of the Earth’s crust, and the shifting distribution of the continents and oceans.

Information up to Knappa Gruaba

If you want to take a short cut back, descend in a southerly direction towards the Silbertal valley and follow the marked trail directly to plate 16 – Raibl formation. Otherwise the trail leads you to the Kloster Valley with the Koessener formation underground and through the layers of Hauptdolomite on the Kristberg trail. You can reach the Bomatschies Forest sink holes in about 20 minutes.