Emerald deposit, Leckbachgraben (Leckbachrinne), Nasenkopf, Habach Valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria

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Smaragdlagerstätte, Leckbachgraben (Leckbachrinne), Nasenkopf, Habachtal, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Österreich

Layer of talc-actinolite schists with inclusions of blastomylonitic rocks (serpentinites and talc schists) and emerald-bearing biotite-chlorite schists, intercalated between scheelite-bearing banded gneisses (including Cu, Fe and Bi sulphides) and amphibolites of the Habach formation. This association of rocks trends from the Hollersbach valley in the east to the Untersulzbach valley in the west, and meanwhile emeralds were also found in its outcrops in the neighbouring valleys.

An emerald mine was first mentioned in 1797, but the deposit was probably worked much earlier. The present mine with its four adits (named A, B , C and D adit) was started in 1860, by the jeweller Samuel Goldschmiedt of Vienna. In 1896 the lease was taken over by the "Emerald Mines Ltd." of London., who worked the deposit until 1913. During the following years, the mine was intermittently worked by different owners until 1949, when it was abandoned. Since 1964, it is privately owned, but worked only sporadically. Presently (2008), it is owned by the strahler Andreas Steiner of Bramberg.
In general, the emeralds are of rather low quality; specimens suited for cutting are rarely found. They usually contain inclusions of a wide variety of minerals. In fact, many of the minerals listed here were only found as inclusions in emeralds.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Actinolite var: Smaragdite Aeschynite-(Y) Albite var: Oligoclase 'Albite-Anorthite Series' 'Allanite' Anatase Ankerite Antigorite 'Apatite' Aschamalmite ? Beryl var: Aquamarine var: Emerald Biotite Brannerite Brookite Calcite

Cassiterite Chalcopyrite 'Chlorite Group' Chromite Chrysoberyl Clinozoisite Covellite Cubanite Dolomite Dravite Epidote Ferrimolybdite ? 'Gadolinite' Gadolinite-(Ce) 'Garnet' Goethite Gold Graphite Hercynite var: Picotite

Ilmenite 'K Feldspar var: Adularia' Mackinawite Magnesite Magnetite Malachite Marcasite Margarite var: Beryllian Margarite Microcline Milarite Molybdenite 'Monazite' Muscovite var: Barian Muscovite var: Fuchsite Opal var: Opal-AN Pentlandite Phenakite Phlogopite

Pyrite Pyrrhotite Quartz var: Capped Quartz Rutile Scheelite var: Molybdoscheelite Schorl Stibnite Talc Titanite Tremolite Uraninite Xenotime-(Y) Zircon Zoisite

73 entries listed. 53 valid minerals.

Localities in this Region

Austria Salzburg Hohe Tauern Habach valley Nasenkopf Leckbachgraben (Leckbachrinne) Emerald deposit C adit

References

- Exel, R. (1993): Die Mineralien und Erzlagerstätten Österreichs.
- Groat, L.A., Giuliani, G., Marshall, D.D., and Turner, D. (2008): Emerald deposits and occurrences: A review. Ore Geology Reviews 34, 87-112.