With a maximum elevation of 1493 m above sea level, the Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) is the second highest mountain range in Germany. It is subdivided into three main natural regions, the northern, central and southern Black Forest. The Variscan basement of the Black Forest consists of plutonic and metamorphic rocks. Sedimentary rocks formed during the Mesozoic under marine and terrestrial conditions. The evolution of the Upper Rhine Graben had a profound impact on relief of the Black Forest. Higher erosion rates in the western part of the Black Forest resulted in the formation of deep and steep valleys (Rhenanian relief type), and in the removal of Mesozoic rocks. The relief of these Rhenanian Valleys contrasts with the rather subdued relief in the eastern part of the Black Forest (Danubian relief type). Glacial deposits and landforms in the northern, central and southern Black Forest bear witness to Quaternary glaciations. Periglacial processes overprinted non-glaciated and deglaciated areas and gave rise to the development of slope deposits (cover beds). With the onset of the Holocene and rising temperatures, the Black Forest became almost entirely covered by forests, thus resulting in a period of geomorphological stability. Human activity caused processes, such as colluviation or soil erosion, and became an increasingly important factor in terms of geomorphological processes.