The Hermann’s Cave was formed into Late Devonian reef limestones of the
geological Elbingeröder Complex starting during the Early Pleistocene in the central
part of the Harz Mountain Range. Older river terrace sand/gravel deposits within the
Hermann’s Cave were deposited in the 16-20 meters higher elevated Saalian formed
middle ponor level. Those are overlain by autochthonous younger early-middle Late
Pleistocene (MIS5d-3) cave clays which contain the cave bear and other fauna such as
archaeological remains. The sediments are dated indirectly by the “cave bear clock”
(cave bear species, tooth and skull morphotypes) and by the absolute dated covering
speleothem layer that cemented the uppermost cave bear skeletons and bones. This
youngest speleothem phase produced candle stalagmites all over the cave system and
levels before the LGM (MIS 2), and especially at the final Late Pleistocene
(Bölling/Alleröd/Dryas; MIS 2/1 boundary) cold humid phases. In the warmer humid
interstadial times of the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5a and c), the today larger
speleothems started to built up, which means that those are not older as 104.000 years.
Keywords: Devonian limestone, Karst, Hermann’s Cave, Ponor stages, Three
main levels, Middle to Late Pleistocene, Sediment types, Speleothem ages and
forms.
