From the North and Baltic coasts to a lowland rich in lakes and the picturesque low mountain ranges - the beauty of the North German landscapes is evidence of an eventful geological history. The hinterland of the North German coast may seem tranquil, but that is only the surface. Geologist Colin Devey looks beneath it, because a turbulent past is all too often revealed there. A stone's throw away, on the Baltic coast, the sea level is rising. And this is without the influence of climate change. The coastal inhabitants are still exposed to the aftermath of the last ice age, even though it ended around 12,000 years ago. The cargo of the glaciers has spread across the North German lowlands. Sand and huge boulders are stone witnesses that were transported from Scandinavia to the north of Germany by the force of the ice masses. The meltwater from the melting glaciers created channel-like depressions. This gave rise to the Feldberg lake landscape in what is now Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the oldest beech forest in Germany is also located. It shows what the primeval forests in our country once looked like, and it serves as an important reference for science in times of climate change. A look into the underground of northern Germany also reveals a hidden treasure: over 900 meters thick, mighty salt deposits lie dormant under the earth; they are deposits from the time of the Zechstein Sea over 250 million years ago. Our low mountain ranges also tell stories from times long past. They are the remains of a mountain range that spans the globe: the Variscides, up to 400 million years old. In the Ore Mountains, Colin Devey is looking for the element uranium. It forms the basis of the atomic age and also made it possible for the first time in the 20th century to reliably determine the age of our planet. A horsetail forest is well hidden in the densely populated Ruhr area. It is reminiscent of the extensive swamp forests that existed here during the Carboniferous period around 300 million years ago. The region's enormous coal deposits were formed from these in long biochemical processes. Without human intervention, the Ruhr region would be uninhabitable and would still be a swamp landscape today. The Eifel is probably the best-known volcanic region in Germany. Its typical maar lakes bear witness to an explosive past that only came to rest about 10,000 years ago. Finally, Colin Devey reaches the southern edge of the low mountain range. There, in the heart of Germany, lies the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main. From its highest point, the Europaturm, he has a perfect view of the geological border between northern and southern Germany. This video is a ZDF production in collaboration with K22 Film. 00:00 Opener 00:24 Intro 01:24 Can stones talk? 03:09 The coast 07:56 North German lowlands 10:36 Feldberg lake landscape 15:42 Treasure from the Zechstein Sea 19:13 Formation of the low mountain ranges 26:55 Treasures of the Ruhr region 34:36 Explosions in the Eifel 40:33 Geological border of Germany Click here for the second episode, in the south of Germany: https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/terr... #TerraX #Geology Subscribe? Just click here – / @terraxhistory All films and information about Terra X can be found here – https://terra-x.zdf.de/#xtor=CS3-82 Terra X on Facebook – / zdfterrax Terra X on Instagram – / terrax