(Revier Bleiberg, Gailtaler Alpen & Karnische Alpen, Kärnten, Österreich)
Ancient lead-zinc mining area, worked from the 16th century until the late 1980's when the Stefanie mine was the last mine to close. The deposit is situated in a raised valley west of Villach, which separates the Dobratsch massif to the south from the Gailtaler Alpen Mts to the north.
A tourist mine can be visited.
GEOLOGY: Sedimentary Pb-Zn mineralizations in triassic limestones (Wetterstein formation) and intercalated carbonatites. The valley is believed to have been part of a marine rift system in the triassic age. The main ores are galena (nearly free of silver) and cadmian sphalerite. Due to fault systems, the oxidation zone extends to depths of around 400 m in some areas of the district (Rudolf mine, Bad Bleiberg). Within the deposit, the galena content decreases to the west: at Kreuth (Max mine), sphalerite was more abundant than galena. Identical mineralizations are found in superimposing layers (Cardita formation, basal main dolomite) to the north. Together, these rocks form a several km wide zone that extends far up the Gail valley (to the west). Within this zone, numerous small Pb-Zn deposits with similar mineralizations are located (e.g. Jaukenhöhe, Radnig near Hermagor, Förolach, Zuchengraben and Schliwagraben near St Stefan, Mitterberg, Golsernock near Stockenboi and Burg near Rubland).
Refs.:
- Schroll (1953)
- Meixner, H. (1957): Die Minerale Kärntens. I. Systematische Übersicht und Fundorte. Carinthia II, Sonderheft 21, 147 pp.
- Kanaki, F. (1972): Die Minerale Bleibergs (Kärnten). Carinthia II, 162/82, 7-84.
- Schroll, E. (1984): Aufschluss, 35, 339-350.
- Niedermayr, G. (1986): Famous mineral localities: Bleiberg, Carinthia, Austria. Mineralogical Record, 17(6), 355-369.
- Zirkl, E. (1988): Bleiberg-Kreuth. Lapis 13 (7-8), 19-65. (in German)
- Exel, R. (1993) Die Mineralien und Erzlagerstätten Österreichs.
- Niedermayr, G., I. Praetzel (1995) Mineralien Kärntens, Verlag des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Kärnten, Klagenfurt: 121-136
- Kucha, H., Schroll, E., and Stumpfl, E.F. (2002) Bacteriogenic lead zinc mineralization in the Bleiberg deposit, Austria. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Sec. Supplement Abstracts, 12th. Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference (2002), A 688.
- Schroll, E. and Rantitsch, G. (2002) Sulfur isotope distribution at Bleiberg lead-zinc deposit (Austria) and its genetic mplication., Abstract volume of Austrian Workshop on Stable Isotopes in Environmental and Earth Sciences, graz 22-23rd Nov. (2002): 29.
- Schroll, E. (2002) Zur Genese von Bleiberg und anderer Pb-Zn-Vererzungen der alpinen Mitteltrias., Abstractband zu Pangea Austria, Salzburg: 163.
- Wulz, S. (2005): Die Entwicklung des Bleiberger Bergbaues. Eigenverlag, Bad Bleiberg, 136 pp.
- http://www.bergbauverein-bad-bleiberg.at/
- www.terra-mystica.at
