Buntsandstein

Buntsandstein is a lithostratigraphic unit of the Triassic period in Central Europe. The name combines the German bunt, meaning colored, with sandstein, meaning sandstone, reflecting its characteristic multicolored sandstones. In the standard Germanic Trias sequence, Buntsandstein lies above older Permian rocks (for example Zechstein) and below the Muschelkalk and Keuper, making it the lower part of the Triassic succession in many regions.

The unit is generally dated to the Early to Middle Triassic. Its outcrops occur across a broad area in Germany and neighboring countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and parts of France. It is particularly well exposed in the Central Uplands and in the Alpine foreland, where thick red and variegated sandstone sequences are preserved.

Lithologically, Buntsandstein is dominated by red, orange, and yellow sandstones, often with cross-bedding and fine-grained interbeds. These sandstones are commonly interlayered with siltstones, mudstones, and occasional gravelly horizons. The deposits record continental to nearshore environments such as rivers, alluvial fans, deltas, and dune fields, with climate interpreted as warm and seasonally arid to semi-arid during much of deposition.

Economically and scientifically, Buntsandstein quarries have supplied building stone and raw materials. The unit also provides insights into Triassic terrestrial ecosystems, including trace fossils and plant remains, and it remains a key reference interval for regional stratigraphy in Central Europe.