Habach valley, Bramberg am Wildkogel, Zell am See District, Salzburg, Austriai

Regional Level Types
Habach valley	Valley
Bramberg am Wildkogel	Municipality
Zell am See District	District
Salzburg	State
Austria	Country

The Habach Valley is a valley in the Hohe Tauern in Pinzgau (Land Salzburg). Running in a north-south direction, the Habach flows through it, which flows into the Salzach near the Habach district of Bramberg am Wildkogel.
(Note: Heubachtal/Heubachthal is an old name of this valley.)

The natural valley in the Hohe Tauern National Park is particularly important because of its emerald mine.

The geological conditions in the Habach Valley are completely different from those in the neighboring valleys. The valley can roughly be divided into four rock zones. The northern slate zone at the valley exit is followed by a central gneiss zone. Then the Habach tongue of crystalline slate pushes across the valley over a width of about 3 kilometers, the end of the valley is in the Venice central gneiss zone.

These different rock sequences are also easy to recognize for a layman when hiking through the valley. At the upper end of the Leckbachrinne, at the Emerald Mine, where the mountains break off almost vertically over the Black Wall into the neighboring Hollersbachtal, one finds deposits of serpentine between chlorite and limestone slate, which has decomposed to talc here. It differs from the slightly deeper lying serpentine by its darker color and its richness in minerals, e.g. B. Garnets of various kinds, diopside, actinolite or clinochlore. This serpentine "bites" again deeper in the Leckbachgraben just above the "Klamml". Small amounts of glossy slate occur here, interspersed with individual ore lenses. Chalcopyrite (copper pyrite), pyrite and silver-bearing galena (galena) can also be found here.

Mineral-bearing veins are very common in the central gneiss. The veins are mainly characterized by the high content of titanium-bearing minerals. Quartz and feldspar have usually settled on the walls. The minerals then sit directly on the central gneiss on this thin base. In large cavities, in which the crystals could form freely, one often finds magnificent, extensive mountain crystals, smoky quartz or porcelain-like pericline. But you can also find apatite, adularia, various tourmalines or chlorite. The presence of blue beryl, chrysoberyl, and molybdenite is also noteworthy.

Fossils

This region is too big or complex to display the fossil list, try looking at smaller subregions.

Mindat Articles

Habach valley collecting by Harjo Neutkens

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect

References