Mass movements in the southern Black Forest, Germany

Abstract

This dataset provides a geomorphological inventory of 158 mass movements larger than 5000 m² mapped within the Last Glacial Maximum extent of the Late Pleistocene Feldberg ice cap in the southern Black Forest, southwest Germany (48°N, 8°E). The dataset is a zip file that contains a) a readme, b) a polygon shapefile of the mass movement boundaries in the study area. The mapping was conducted in 2025 using a LiDAR-derived digital elevation model (DEM) with a 0.25 m-resolution and field investigations. Mass movement features were identified and delineated through visual geomorphological mapping on GIS-based analysis. For this, raster layers including slope angle, profile curvature, lithology, surface roughness and multi-directional hillshades were used. The dataset was compiled to address the lack of information on mass movements in the Black Forest mid-mountain range and to provide a systematic inventory of mass movements within the former extent of the Late Pleistocene Feldberg ice cap. The dataset can support geomorphological analysis and studies on landscape evolution and potential controlling factors of mass movement occurrence in formerly glaciated low mountain environments.