From a geological-geographical viewpoint, the southern part of the Nature Park belongs to the German average-mountain landscape. As a wedge-shaped mountain-ridge this complex separates the "Muensterland basin" in the south, from the north-western lowlands. Geologists call this complex the North-Westfalian-Lippian ridge, caused by tectonic folding and surrounded by a commonly horizontally bedded, flat landscape.
This mountain-ridge is representing a geological anticline, characterized by several smaller sub-structures like over-thrusts, faults, horsts, inferior anticlines and uplifts. Outside the anticline, erosional processes and especially the influence of glaciation during the ice ages created the morphology of today.
The southern area of the Nature Park can further be divided into three different geological-geomorphological entities. The northern edge is formed by the "Wiehengebirge" and the "Wesergebirge", it consists of Jurassic rocks. The crest of the central mountain chain is made up of Upper Jurassic sand- and limestones. One of the most famous Geosite (or "Geotop"), the "Dinosaur Footprints of Barkhausen" is located in these layers. In the southernmost part of the Park, outcrops of Middle and Lower Jurassic rocks can be found that consist mainly out of soft shaly claystones, often interspersed with clay-iron concretions.
