Latitude: 45°57'47"N
Longitude: 3°43'10"E
Mine du Limouzat [BN3, BN5, BN6]
An ancient uranium mine, started in 1955 and closed in 1980. There was a small quarry at that place before the mine started to work, where exceptionally crystallized vandendriesscheite specimens were collected by Jean Chervet. This mine operated one of the biggest uranium deposit in France which includes BN3, BN5 and BN6 deposits. The main vein (30 m in width and 700 m in length) have been worked up to 420 m depth (underground and in a quarry) and 2 600 000 tons of ore were extracted. During the 1980's, the quarry and all underground parts of the mine were backfilled.
According to M. Cuney (1974), 6 mineralizing phases are known:
- Phase 1: quartz (Q1) with pitchblende, coffinite, pyrite and some small crystals of euhedral arsenopyrite
- Phase 2: red quartz (replacement) monocrystalline and chalcedonic (Q2) formed at the same time as hematite
- Phase 3: banded smoky quartz (Q3) with chalcopyrite
- Phase 4: arrival of fluorite, carbonates and whewellite not associated with uranium
- Phase 5: quartz (Q4) with bismuthinite, pyrite and chalcopyrite
- Phase 6: hydrothermal (or meteoric?) alteration and secondary uranium minerals formation (autunite, torbernite, etc.)
Mineral List
33 entries listed. 31 valid minerals.
The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please
register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
References
- CUNEY M. (1974) - Le gisement uranifère des Bois-Noirs - Limouzat (Massif Central, France). Relations entre minéraux et fluides. Thèse de spécialité, Nancy I, 174 pp.
- Guiollard, P.-G. (2002) - Le gisement des Bois-Noirs - Limouzat (Loire) in L'uranium du Morvan et du Forez, Pierre-Christian Guiollard Ed., Fichous, 96 pp.
Mineral and Locality Search
