Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tamina" river – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Tamina
The Tamina in the Calfeisental
Location
Country	Switzerland
Canton	St. Gallen
District	Sarganserland
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Egghorn
• elevation	2,630 m (8,630 ft)
Mouth
• location	Rhine
• elevation	496 m (1,627 ft)
Length	~ 29 km (18 mi)
Basin size	155.48 km (60.03 sq mi)
Basin features
Progression	Rhine→ North Sea

The Tamina is a river in the south of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, running close to the border to the canton of Grisons. It has a length of almost 29 km (18 mi), flowing through the Tamina Valley, of which Tamina Gorge (Taminaschlucht) is an impressiv part, before it enters the Rhine as a left tributary.

Course

The river starts below the Sardona Pass (2,758 m (9,049 ft)) and between the Surenstock (3,057 m (10,030 ft)) and the Trinserhorn (3,028 m (9,934 ft)) of the Glarus Alps. Within its first half, the river flows eastwards through the valley Calfeisen and the reservoir Lake Gigerwald (Gigerwaldsee) until it reaches Vättis at 943 m (3,094 ft), where it is joined by the Gorbsbach and where it turns sharply towards the northeast. Further below, the Tamina flows into the Mapraggsee. The lower section, heading northwards through Pfäfers, forms a deep and narrow gorge called the Taminaschlucht (English: Tamina Gorge). The river then flows through Bad Ragaz before it finally merges with the Alpine Rhine.

Tamina Gorge

Between Valens and the hamlet of Bonadivis, the water of the Tamina digs up to 200 m (660 ft) into the ground. Over the last 15,000 years, the small river has eaten its way into the rock and, between Valens and Ragol, it is sometimes even completely covered by natural bridges. The narrow crevice is around 750 m (2,460 ft) long and 70 m (230 ft) deep. The gorge, which is accissible by a pedestrian bridge, also contains a hot spring used for a spa. At Pfäfers, the gorge widens so much that for the last 4 km (2.5 mi) there is also space for a single-lane road next to the river, which since 1838 connects Bad Ragaz with Altes Bad Pfäfers (a former spa and hotel, now a museum and restaurant). The road is closed to cars, but a bus operates on it.

There are two hypotheses about the origin of the Tamina Gorge:

• First the river eroded a narrow channel through the 7 m (23 ft) thick Nummulite limestone, which forms the upper part of the gorge today. As the water pushed deeper over time, it eventually reached the softer Seewer Schist below. This allowed the river to widen its bed through lateral erosion of the surrounding rock. As the Tamina cut through the rock obliquely in an eastward movement, the western wall of the gorge tilted slightly and thus wedged the Nummulite limestone banks against each other, creating the natural bridges above the river.
• It is also conceivable that the Tamina eroded through the harder limestone and the gorge is actually a cave. However, the most important outcrops on the natural bridges are neither accessible nor visible.

In the upper part of the Tamina Gorge there is a hot spring, pumping out 8,000 L (1,800 imp gal; 2,100 US gal) of water per minute with a temperature of 36.6 °C (97.9 °F). Discovered in 1240, it was used on site and later in Altes Bad Pfäfers between the years 1350 and 1969, and since then it is used in the Valens medical clinic and the spa in Bad Ragaz.

History

Historically, the Tamina Valley (Taminatal, also Vättnertal) was owned by the Pfäfers Abbey, joined to the canton of St. Gallen at its formation in 1803.

See also

• List of rivers of Switzerland
• List of canyons

References

1. Reynard, Emmanuel (9 July 2020). Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-43203-4.
2. Scheidegger, Adrian E. (6 December 2012). Morphotectonics. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-18745-2.
3. ^ "Tamina Gorge". myswitzerland.com. Retrieved 28 July 2024.

External links

Media related to Tamina (Fluss) at Wikimedia Commons

• Altes Bad Pfäfers (in German)

v t e Tributaries of the Rhine
Left	Vorderrhein Aua da Russein Schmuèr Alpine Rhine Vorderrhein Tamina Saar Alter Rhein Rheintaler Binnenkanal Upper Lake Constance Goldach Aach (Arbon) Aach (Romanshorn) Seerhein Grenzbach Dorfbach Lower Lake Constance Anderbach High Rhine Thur Töss Glatt Aare Sissle Möhlinbach Ergolz Birs Upper Rhine Birsig Ill Moder Sauer Lauter Spiegelbach Queich Speyerbach Rehbach Isenach Eckbach Eisbach Pfrimm Selz Middle Rhine Welzbach Nahe Moselle Nette Brohlbach Ahr Lower Rhine Erft
Right	Vorderrhein Rein da Tuma Rein da Curnera Rein da Medel Rein da Sumvitg Glogn Rabiusa Hinterrhein Ragn da Ferrera Albula/Alvra Alpine Rhine Hinterrhein Plessur Landquart Mülbach Liechtenstein inland canal Ill Frutz Upper Lake Constance Dornbirner Ach Bregenzer Ach Leiblach Argen Schussen Rotach Brunnisach Lipbach Seefelder Aach Stockacher Aach Lower Lake Constance Radolfzeller Aach High Rhine Biber Durach Wutach Alb Murg Wehra Upper Rhine Wiese Kander Elz Kinzig Rench Acher Murg Alb Pfinz Saalbach Kraichbach Leimbach Neckar Weschnitz Modau Main Middle Rhine Wisper Lahn Wied Lower Rhine Sieg Wupper Düssel Ruhr Emscher Lippe IJssel Oude IJssel/Issel Berkel Schipbeek

47°01′N 9°31′E / 47.017°N 9.517°E / 47.017; 9.517

This Canton of St. Gallen location article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• v
• t
• e

• Tributaries of the Rhine
• Rivers of Switzerland
• Rivers of the canton of St. Gallen
• Canton of St. Gallen geography stubs
• Switzerland river stubs