Relating the crack width to the dates of the opening of each crack, the following average movement rates were obtained:
Site 1:
Tree analysis: 21 mm / a (1953 - 2000) crack width near the tree 1m
Site 2:
Tree analysis: 35 mm / a (1954 - 2000), crack width near the tree 1.65m
Root analysis: 28 mm / a (1953 - 2000), crack width next to the root sample 1.35m
Microtome analysis: 450 mm long root piece was exposed as a result of an event
Site 03:
The sampled tree on the displaced block (Mauerscholle) does not show any remarkable growth reduction in the year 1953, in spite of the small distance (15 m) to site 02.
Phases of intense movements of the study sites between AD 1900 and 2000 could be correlated to extreme precipitation events.
We conclude that the combination of root- and stem-structure analysis provides a powerful dendrogeomorphological tool for the study of mass movement, in this case the determination of widening rates of cracks at the Wellenkalk-Escarpment in the Thuringia Basin.