The Tüttensee “Bunte Breccia”

 Apart from the suevite the ejecta blanket of the Ries impact structure (Germany) is composed of the so-called Bunte (= multicolored) breccia (clast size < 25 m) and allochthonous megablocks (coherent clasts  > 25 m). The distinction has been made for mapping reasons but otherwise is arbitrary. The term “Bunte” refers to the many colors (black Jurassic claystones, white Malmian limestones, purple and greenish Keuper sandstones and claystones, various crystalline rocks) that on intensive mixture of the components cause the multicolored appearance of the breccia. New excavation pits at Lake Tüttensee (Chiemgau impact event) have encountered a “Bunte breccia” (the image shown here) very similar to its namesake of the Ries impact crater. The probable similar formation of the breccias (as impact ejecta) is especially evident when the Tüttensee breccia is compared with the small-grained clayey Ries breccia. A preliminary short report (in German with English abstract and figure captions) on the new excavation results may be clicked HERE.