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| This book,
with 192 color pages, has been published to celebrate 50 years (1958-2008) from
the exploitation of this unique quarry by various communities... [read
more] |
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If you want to be informed about
what is hot in Lengenbach quarry!!! |
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 Classic mineral localities described on old postcards in high ressolution
We found in the old postcard market two very interesting postcards which describe Swiss valleys well known for its rich minerals. You could find localities and places as Furka, Göschenental, Vla Rusein, Disentis, Oberalp, Hospental...
click here.
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Dalnegroite, Tl5-xPb2x(As, Sb)21xS34, a new thallium sulphosalt from Lengenbach quarry, Binntal, Switzerland
Dalnegroite (IMA 2009-058), ideally Tl4Pb2(As12Sb8) 20S34, is a new mineral from Lengenbach, Binntal, Switzerland. It occurs as anhedral to subhedral grains up to 200 µm across, closely associated with realgar, pyrite... click here.
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VFL meeting and some info about Binn Mineralienbörse, a report by our friend Claudio Albertini.
Some pictures and comments sent by Claudio Albertini. Armenite, photoshow, film about Binn and much more... click here.
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AVALANCHES in the Lengenbach quarry area.
During last winter some avalanches have created problems in the Lengenbach quarry area. If you want to see some spectacular photos which have been sent by Ralph Cannon, click here. |
R. H. Solly (1851-1925) |
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION in BINN: Binntal and the Lengenbach quarry in the beginning of 20th Century.
From mid-June to mid-October will be held in the hall of the Regionalmuseum of Binn an important photographic exhibition based on a recovered old photo-album of R.H. Solly. Organized by Claudio Albertini (Omegna, IT) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Graeser (Basel, CH)... [read more] |
The Lengenbach Quarry (LGB) is located
in the Binn Valley (Valais, Switzerland) and it is famous among the mineralogist
community for its unusual sulfosalt specimens.
These minerals have been highly appreciated in the past and also today, due to
various factors: the rarity and the diversity of the mineral species collected,
the notable perfection of crystals... and also for its esthetic contrast with
the snowy Dolomite matrix.
For nearly 200 years, many mineralogists from Europe have devoted a large number
of efforts to study the peculiar mineralization of Lengenbach. Today, the geology
of the quarry is known in detail as well as the structure of the crystalline
sulfosalts collected there. The systematic studies of the collected minerals
have contributed to the Mineralogy with a large number of new minerals never
described before. Lengenbach is Type Locality for 28 accepted
new minerals, 27 new sulfosalts and 1 new phosphate (2008).
This great scientific search effort has been made possible in large part by the
foundation, in the year 1958, of the Lengenbach Working Community (Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Lengenbach) which has published a good number of articles, notes, books,
etc with Lengenbach as the reference.
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Sphalerite with Galena
Photo Frank de Wit (2010) |
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Hutchinsonite and Realgar.
Photo and Coll. Stephan
Wolfsried (2006)
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Where
is the quarry?
The Dolomite deposit of LGB is located in the Binn Valley (other names of this
valley are Binntal, Binnatal, Binnathal, Binnenthal), a small valley in the southwest
of Switzerland in the Swiss canton of Valais. To its south lies Italy.
To get there you must take the road from Brig to Andermatt, and between Lax and
Fiesch you must turnoff direction Ernen and Binn.
From Binn, after the long tunnel, you must get Imfeld. From this small village,
close to the Pius restaurant, there is a single road to the quarry but it is
closed to the unauthorized motor vehicles traffic. Walking is 30 minutes to the
Lengenbach Quarry.
Due to its location and its fully Alpine appeal, 1.660 meters, the mine remains
closed from autumn to spring, depending on the snow period. However, the quarry
is fenced and the public is only allowed to look for minerals in the dump in
front of the quarry.
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