Editing Spessart (section)

==Geology==
[[File:Hunnenstein.jpg|thumb|250px|"Hunnenstein" (natural sandstone outcropping) with viewing platform, Mainspessart near Miltenberg]]
The lowest strata of the Spessart are made up of [[gneiss]] and [[mica schist]], dating back around 1,200 million years. These rock types are most visible in the ''Vorspessart''. On top of this is the [[Zechstein]], dating to the [[Permian]], found in a band stretching from [[Sailauf]] to [[Linsengericht|Eidengesäß]] and as an "island" in the area of the stream Bieber near [[Biebergemünd]], where it contained deposits of [[silver]], [[copper]], [[iron]] and [[cobalt]].<ref name="Grieben"/>{{rp|9}}

The top layer of most of the ''Hochspessart'' and southern Spessart is made up of a slab of ''Buntsandstein'' or red [[sandstone]], of up to 400 metres thickness. It dates back about 250 million years and is prevalent especially around [[Miltenberg]]. This is the best-known stone of the area, as it has been used in the past for many public buildings including the cathedrals of the Rhine valley, like [[Mainz Cathedral]].<ref name="Grieben"/>{{rp|9}} On the western edge of the range there is also [[loess]], a wind-deposited sediment.<ref name="Grieben"/>{{rp|8}}

The area of the ''Würzburger Spessart'' is made up of [[Muschelkalk]], which provides better conditions for agriculture than the sandstone predominating in most of the Spessart proper.<ref name="Grieben"/>{{rp|8}}
However, the north-south [[rift]] that follows the river Main along the western leg of the ''Maindreieck'' does not match exactly the geological divide between the sandstone and the Muschelkalk. For around 60 kilometres the rift parallels the Main from Gemünden to [[Triefenstein]]. The hills east of the river thus resemble those of the Spessart geologically.<ref name="Grieben"/>{{rp|175}}