Quartz, Germany

This Article is under construction:

Click here to view Best Minerals Quartz and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Quartz - Germany
SiO₂ trigonal


Here will go an image of a quartz from Germany that will hopefully get users to more closely examine this thread and some introductry remarks about German quartzes.


Quartz
Germany
Baden-Württemberg, Black Forest, Pforzheim



Öschelbronn and Dietlingen near Pforzheim are localities known for smoky to almost black double terminated xls, usually 5 mm to 2 cm, rarely up to 4 cm (at least the biggest I've seen). Those are formed in dolomitic marls ("Mittlerer Muschelkalk", mid-triassic). They are double-layered with a crumbly and grainy quartz-anhydrite mixture in the core, covered by a well crystallized outer layer with inclucions of bituninous matter, colouring the xls (so not being a real smoky quartz). Those xls are unique and only known from te northern and northeastern rim of the Black Forest. They are called "Pforzheimer Stinkquarz" (the "stink" means smelling, because freshly broken xls smell burnt because of the bituminous matter). The xls can be collected on the fields after harvest.
[Sebastian Möller 2009]


Quartz
Germany
Baden-Württemberg, Black Forest, Wolfach, Oberwolfach, Rankach valley, Clara Mine




Quartz
Germany
Bavaria, Franconia, Fichtelgebirge, Wunsiedel, Bernstein




Quartz
Germany
Bavaria, Franconia, Fichtelgebirge, Wunsiedel, Göpfersgrün, Johannes Mine




Quartz
Germany
Bavaria, Upper Palatinate, Schwandorf, Wölsendorf Fluorite mining District

Quartz & Fluorite 6.5cm wide	© Joseph Polityka

Quartz
Germany
Hesse, Odenwald, Bensheim, Reichenbach




Quartz
Germany
Hesse, Taunus Mts, Usingen, Usingen quartzite works

Quartz 11.5cm tall	© J.N

Quartz
Germany
Lower Saxony, Harz Mts, Bad Lauterberg, Charlotte Magdalena Mine




Quartz
Germany
Lower Saxony, Harz Mts, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Hahnenklee, Töberschekopf hill

Quartz 10cm wide	© G. van der Veldt

Quartz
Germany
Lower Saxony, Hildesheim




Quartz
Germany
Lower Saxony, Rinteln, Hohenrode, Rumbeck Mtn (Taubenberg Mtn)

6.5mm Quartz xl on matrix	© Chinellato Matteo

Quartz
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Niederberg area, Velbert, Wasserfall Quarry

Quartz FOV 2.2cm	© 2005 M. Kampf

Quartz
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Niederberg area, Wülfrath, Rohdenhaus, Rohdenhaus Quarry (incl. Krieger Quarry)

Quartz 65cm tall	© Harjo

Quartz
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Sauerland, Brilon, Rösenbeck




Quartz
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Sauerland, Meschede, Ramsbeck, Dörnberg Mine

Quartz 5.3cm wide	© KrauklMinerals

Quartz 4.5cm wide	© KrauklMinerals

Quartz 6.8cm wide	© KrauklMinerals

Quartz
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Sauerland, Warstein, Kallenhardt, Brühne quarry




[[b]Quartz[/b]
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia, Sauerland, Warstein, Suttrop, Auf dem Stein quarry

Largest Quartz is 3cm tall	© Rob Lavinsky

.

Quartz 3cm wide	© Rob Lavinsky

Suttrop-Type Quartz

The "type locality" of these crystals is "Auf der Vogelstange", a street at Suttrop, where crystals could be found until the area was mostly overbuilt. They can also be found in nearby quarries. Similar quartz specimen can be found along a "belt" of Devonian and Carboniferous limestones at the northern end of the Sauerland, a low mountain range in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. This belt extends over 150 km from Dornap near Wuppertal in the West to Wünneberg-Bleiwäsche south of Paderborn in the East and is about 20 km wide. Among the many other locations where Suttrop-type quartz can be found are quarries at Kallenhardt, Wünnenberg-Bleiwäsche, Warstein, Hagen-Hohenlimburg, Velbert-Rhodenhaus.

The crystals themselves are younger than the Devonian limestones and formed probably during the late Paleocoic age in a hydrothermal environment. The crystals can be up to 5cm long, but most are much smaller. The color of the translucent crystals is most commonly a creamy white to light brown. The crystals are characterized by a pseudohexagonal, double terminated habit and a zonar inner structure. Both geyser-like rhythmic movements of water and tectonic events have been discussed as a cause of the zonar pattern. The mineral anhydrite, CaSO4, was incorporated at relatively high temperatures; later some of it was dissolved at lower temperatures (anhydrite is more soluble at lower temperatures), leaving tiny cavities in the crystal that contribute to its white color. Interestingly, overall the temperature during crystal growth increased with time, starting at about 60-80°C and ending at above 120°C, perhaps even above 300°C (Behr et al., 1979), which is very different from the typical development of quartz from Alpine-type fissures, for example. The crystals have a very high number of fluid inclusions, consuming up to 10% of their volume. Accordingly, the crystals have a lower specific gravity than usual. They also never show any accessorial faces and are heavily twinned.
While single double-terminated crystals are most sought-after, the crystals usually occur in irregularly intergrown aggregates that may weigh many kilograms and sometimes accumulate in former karst cavities.
[Amir C. Akhavan 2009]

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Eifel Mts, Mayen, Ettringen, Ettringer Bellerberg Mt.

Quartz FOV 3mm	© Stephan Wolfsried

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hunsrück Mts, Idar-Oberstein, Niederwörresbach, Juchem Quarry

Quartz v. amethyst FOV 15cm	© A. Bleeker

Quartz geode 17.8cm wide	©

Quartz v. amethyst 13.5cm tall	© Russell G. Rizzo

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hunsrück Mts, Idar-Oberstein, Steinkaulenberg




Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hunsrück Mts, Kirschweiler, Katzenloch, Rösselhalde

Quartz v. eisenkissel FOV 5cm wide	© A. Bleeker

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hunsrück Mts, Monzingen, Langenthal, Basalt AG Quarry ("Ferdinand Kloos" Quarry)




Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hunsrück Mts, Stromberg, Limestone quarries




Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Rockenhausen, Lenz Quarry

Quartz v. smoky 14cm wide	© R. lang 2006

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Taunus Mts, Kaub, Slate quarry




Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Taunus Mts, Nastätten, Miehlen

Quartz ~6cm wide	© michael berghäuser

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Taunus Mts, Singhofen, Jammertal

Quartz 3cm tall	© Volker Betz

Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Taunus Mts, St Goarshausen, Forstbach valley




Quartz
Germany
Rhineland-Palatinate, Taunus Mts, St Goarshausen, Nochern

Quartz 7cm tall	© michael berghäuser

Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Annaberg-Buchholz, Dörfel, Dörfel Quarry (Bögl Quarry)

Quartz 2.5cm tall	© RK

Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Annaberg-Buchholz, Wiesenbad




Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Aue, Hakenkrümme Quarry




Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Ehrenfriedersdorf, Sauberg Mine




Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Freiberg District, Halsbrücke, Beihilfe Mine




Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Glashütte, Schlottwitz

Quartz v. amethyst 17cm wide	© Petr Fuchs

Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Erzgebirge, Schwarzenberg District, Bockau, Fahsel quarry

Quartz v. smoky 8cm wide	© M. Adelt

Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Oberlausitz, Kamenz, Oßling Quarry




Quartz
Germany
Saxony, Vogtland, Bad Brambach

Quartz 7cm wide	© RK

Quartz v. smoky 14cm wide	© M. Adelt

Click here to view Best Minerals Quartz and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of Best Minerals articles.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2011 08:48PM by Harjo Neutkens.

Auf dem Stein quarry, Suttrop, Warstein, Sauerland, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Suttrop-Type Quartz

The "type locality" of these crystals is "Auf der Vogelstange", a street at Suttrop, where crystals could be found until the area was mostly overbuilt. They can also be found in nearby quarries.

Similar quartz specimen can be found along a "belt" of Devonian and Carboniferous limestones at the northern end of the Sauerland, a low mountain range in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. This belt extends over 150 km from Dornap near Wuppertal in the West to Wünneberg-Bleiwäsche south of Paderborn in the East and is about 20 km wide.
Among the many other locations where Suttrop-type quartz can be found are quarries at Kallenhardt, Wünnenberg-Bleiwäsche, Warstein, Hagen-Hohenlimburg, Velbert-Rhodenhaus.
The crystals themselves are younger than the Devonian limestones and formed probably during the late Paleocoic age in a hydrothermal environment.
The crystals can be up to 5cm long, but most are much smaller. The color of the translucent crystals is most commonly a creamy white to light brown. The crystals are characterized by a pseudohexagonal, double terminated habit and a zonar inner structure. Both geyser-like rhythmic movements of water and tectonic events have been discussed as a cause of the zonar pattern. The mineral anhydrite, CaSO4, was incorporated at relatively high temperatures; later some of it was dissolved at lower temperatures (anhydrite is more soluble at lower temperatures), leaving tiny cavities in the crystal that contribute to its white color. Interestingly, overall the temperature during crystal growth increased with time, starting at about 60-80°C and ending at above 120°C, perhaps even above 300°C (Behr et al., 1979), which is very different from the typical development of quartz from Alpine-type fissures, for example. The crystals have a very high number of fluid inclusions, consuming up to 10% of their volume. Accordingly, the crystals have a lower specific gravity than usual. They also never show any accessorial faces and are heavily twinned.
While single double-terminated crystals are most sought-after, the crystals usually occur in irregularly intergrown aggregates that may weigh many kilograms and sometimes accumulate in former karst cavities.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2009 10:26AM by Amir C. Akhavan.

Amir,
Thats useful information and I'm sure much of it will end up in the article.
Rock

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Hello.

There are quite a lot of localities in Germany.

Some really should be mentioned. Sorry, if some are already listed.

Baden-Württemberg:

Öschelbronn and Dietlingen near Pforzheim

known localities for smoky to almost black double terminated xls, usually 5 mm to 2 cm, rarely up to 4 cm (at least the biggest I've seen). Those are formed in dolomitic marls ("Mittlerer Muschelkalk", mid-triassic). They are double-layered with a crumbly and grainy quartz-anhydrite mixture in the core, covered by a well crystallized outer layer with inclucions of bituninous matter, colouring the xls (so not being a real smoky quartz). Those xls are unique and only known from te northern and northeastern rim of the Black Forest. They are called "Pforzheimer Stinkquarz" (the "stink" means smelling, because freshly broken xls smell burnt because of the bituminous matter). The xls can be collected on the fields after harvest.

Im Gehn Quarry, Bramsche, North Rhine-Westphalia

Nice Rock Crystals.

Amethyst locations in saxony (Erzgebirge Mts.) which have produced nice specimen include Seidelgrund Amethyst vein, Wiesenbad and Gebirge near Marienberg.

Smoky Quartz xls up to 12 cm have been found in Granulitgebirge Mts., Saxony (near Chemnitz).

There, at Mühlau a bigger pocket had been hit when a pipeline or cable trench had been built. The xls are prismatic, brown with white rim (partly and thin). Nice ones up to dm in length are from Elzing Quarry, Limbach-Oberfrohna. I've seen a cavity (xls already removed, but a friend told me they were up to at least 50 cm) I could nearly go into. Those are cavities in pegmatite veins, usually accompanied by feldspar xls (orthoclase) and Schorl xls.

Then there are lots of agate localities in Germany.

Regards,
Sebastia Möller

Sebastian,
We really need someone to do the article on German Quartz. Any interest?

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.