Geosite: Morasko Meteorite Reserve (FID: 4)

Return to geosite list 🔐 Login
Dynamic geosite (Active processes: 2)

Description: The Morasko Meteorite Reserve, located on the northern outskirts of Poznań, protects a unique natural and geological heritage site. The area lies within the Wielkopolska region, shaped by Pleistocene glaciations that formed rolling morainic hills and depressions. About 5,000 years ago, a meteorite shower struck the site, leaving several impact craters, the largest of which is over 100 meters in diameter. Numerous fragments of iron meteorite, some weighing hundreds of kilograms, have been recovered from the reserve and are preserved in museum collections. Beyond its geological significance, the reserve is also valuable for biodiversity.

Property: Public.

Accessibility: The reserve is located about 10 km north of Poznań's city center, near the Morasko district. It is accessible by car and public transport, with parking areas nearby. Marked trails lead visitors through forested terrain directly to the meteorite craters.

Use limitations: As a nature reserve, Morasko is subject to conservation rules. Visitors must remain on designated paths to protect vegetation and crater rims. Collecting meteorite fragments, rocks, or plants is prohibited. Open fires and camping are not allowed, ensuring minimal disturbance to the geological features and natural habitats.

Safety: The Morasko Reserve is generally safe for visitors. Trails are well marked, but some paths can be uneven or muddy, especially after rainfall.

Interpretatives: Educational boards are installed along the reserve's trails, explaining the geological history of the meteorite impact, the process of crater formation, and the results of scientific research. Additional panels describe the role of glaciations in shaping the local landscape, as well as the diversity of protected plant species and habitats found within the reserve.

Infrastructure: The Morasko Meteorite Reserve is equipped with basic infrastructure for visitors. A network of marked walking paths leads through the forest to the main craters, with wooden footbridges provided in wetter areas. Parking facilities are available near the reserve entrance, and information points help orient visitors. The site is suitable for educational walks and short excursions.

Protection: The geosite is protected as a nature reserve under Polish law. Its objectives are to conserve the unique meteorite craters, glacial landforms, and associated ecosystems. Management focuses on limiting human disturbance, monitoring natural habitats, and maintaining the educational infrastructure.

Fragility: The site's features are sensitive to both natural and environmental changes. Erosion of crater rims and gradual infilling with sediments or vegetation reduce the visibility of impact structures. Wetland habitats are vulnerable to shifts in groundwater levels, which may affect rare plant communities.

Vulnerability: Human activity poses potential threats to the reserve. Unauthorized collecting of meteorite fragments, trampling outside marked trails, and littering can damage both geological and ecological values. Increasing tourist pressure from nearby urban areas may accelerate soil erosion and habitat degradation if not properly managed.

Geodiversity elements

Spatial type Scale Relevance Name Descriptions
group of surfaces km ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Terminal moraine clays
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Glacial sedimentation Glacial tills Vistulian glaciation Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of glacial deposits during the Vistulian glaciation passive thousand-year 25 ka 18 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Pliocene clays and silts, locally sands
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation of Pliocene and Late Miocene deposits in fluvial and lacustrine conditions Pliocene clays and silts Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of Late Miocene and Pliocene deposits passive million-year 10 Ma 3 Ma
Glacitectonic deformations Deformed Pliocene deposits Deformations occurred during the Vistulian glaciation but may have also been initiated during earlier glaciations Geocryological, Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Glacitectonic deformations during the Vistulian and earlier glaciations passive thousand-year 25 ka 18 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Glacial sands and gravels
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Glacial sedimentation Glacial sands and gravels Geocryological, Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of glacial deposits during the Vistulian glaciation passive thousand-year 25 ka 18 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface m ✅ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Sandy silts of closed depressions, limnic
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation on valley floors Fillings of valleys incised into terminal moraine hills Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Holocene sedimentation active thousand-year 10 ka present
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of surfaces m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Valley-bottom sandy deposits
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation on valley floors Fillings of valleys incised into terminal moraine hills Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Holocene sedimentation active thousand-year 10 ka present
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Zimna Woda Lake Drying-up lake
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Formation of a lake in a valley incised into terminal moraine hills Lake Hydrological
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Holocene sedimentation passive thousand-year 10 ka present
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Old gravel pit Remains of gravel extraction
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Old gravel pit Remains of gravel extraction year first half of the 20th century 1970
group of surfaces m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Meteorite crater Seven meteorite craters; remains of the Morasko meteorite shower
Images (3)
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Meteorite fall (Morasko meteorite shower) Meteorite shower Cosmogenic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Meteorite shower passive thousand-year 5 ka 5 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface 10-100m ❌ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Elm-ash riparian forest
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Elm-ash riparian forest thousand-year 10 ka present
surface m ❌ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Alder swamp forest and willow thickets
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Alder swamp forest and willow thickets thousand-year 10 ka present
surface 10-100m ❌ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Central European oak-hornbeam forest Oak-hornbeam forest is under protection in the Morasko Meteorite Reserve
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Central European oak-hornbeam forest thousand-year 10 ka present
point mm ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Góra Moraska Summit
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Formation of terminal morainic hills during the Poznań Phase of the Vistulian glaciation Terminal moraine Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of glacial deposits during the Vistulian glaciation passive thousand-year 20 ka 18 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of points mm ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Viewpoints toward meteorite craters
Images (2)
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Meteorite fall (Morasko meteorite shower) Meteorite craters Cosmogenic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Meteorite shower passive thousand-year 5 ka 5 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
point mm ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Erratic boulder Scandinavian gneiss
Images (2)
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Formation of Scandinavian gneisses Scandinavian gneiss Metamorphic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Metamorphism passive million-year 1.8 Ga 1.2 Ga
Glacial sedimentation Erratic boulder Formation of terminal morainic hills during the Poznań Phase of the Vistulian glaciation (spójne) Geocryological, Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of glacial deposits during the Vistulian glaciation passive thousand-year 20 ka 18 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of points mm ✅ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Interpretative panels
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Interpretative panels Interpretive panels present the biodiversity of Mount Morasko and explain the formation of meteorite craters in the Morasko Meteorite Reserve present 1990 present
line 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Hiking trail to the meteorite craters
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Hiking trail to the meteorite craters year 1950 present
line 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Hiking trail to the summit of terminal moraine hills
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Hiking trail to the summit of terminal moraine hills year 1950 present

Geosite map

Geosite summary

Themes and processes (8)

Process Feature Description
Glacial sedimentation Glacial tills Vistulian glaciation
Sedimentation of Pliocene and Late Miocene deposits in fluvial and lacustrine conditions Pliocene clays and silts
Glacitectonic deformations Deformed Pliocene deposits Deformations occurred during the Vistulian glaciation but may have also been initiated during earlier glaciations
Sedimentation on valley floors Fillings of valleys incised into terminal moraine hills
Formation of a lake in a valley incised into terminal moraine hills Lake
Meteorite fall (Morasko meteorite shower) Meteorite shower
Formation of terminal morainic hills during the Poznań Phase of the Vistulian glaciation Terminal moraine
Formation of Scandinavian gneisses Scandinavian gneiss

Time scales (6)

Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of glacial deposits during the Vistulian glaciation passive thousand-year 25 ka 18 ka
Sedimentation of Late Miocene and Pliocene deposits passive million-year 10 Ma 3 Ma
Glacitectonic deformations during the Vistulian and earlier glaciations passive thousand-year 25 ka 18 ka
Holocene sedimentation active thousand-year 10 ka present
Meteorite shower passive thousand-year 5 ka 5 ka
Metamorphism passive million-year 1.8 Ga 1.2 Ga

Biocultural components (7)

Component Description Time scale Begin End
Old gravel pit Remains of gravel extraction year first half of the 20th century 1970
Elm-ash riparian forest thousand-year 10 ka present
Alder swamp forest and willow thickets thousand-year 10 ka present
Central European oak-hornbeam forest thousand-year 10 ka present
Interpretative panels Interpretive panels present the biodiversity of Mount Morasko and explain the formation of meteorite craters in the Morasko Meteorite Reserve present 1990 present
Hiking trail to the meteorite craters year 1950 present
Hiking trail to the summit of terminal moraine hills year 1950 present