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The subsoil of Ried Steinriegl in
Weissenkirchen is composed,
like the Kollmütz, of a severely
weathered paragneiss/landslip soil.
In the anterior Steinriegl, banded
and silicatic marbles come to the
fore, which translates to a high
limestone content in the ground.
Layered upon this lie instances of
calcareous gravel from an ancient
period of intense cold, the Danube
glaciation, which took place even
before the four well-known ice
ages Günz, Mindel, Riss and
Würm. During the ice ages the
Danube River, thanks to minimal
flowing water and reduced drag
force, deposited great gravel fans
that today are still preserved in
insular spots. Thanks to a high
gravel content, the soils are quite
permeable and easily warmed in
the springtime.
Steinriegl