Racalmuto Mine (Racalmuto salt mine; Pantanelle-Sacchitello-Culma Prevola salt mine; Pantanelle-Sacchitello mines), Racalmuto salt mines, Racalmuto saliferous deposit, Racalmuto, Agrigento Province, Sicily, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Racalmuto Mine (Racalmuto salt mine; Pantanelle-Sacchitello-Culma Prevola salt mine; Pantanelle-Sacchitello mines)	Mine (Active)
Racalmuto salt mines	Group of Mines
Racalmuto saliferous deposit	Deposit (Abandoned)
Racalmuto	Commune
Agrigento Province	Province
Sicily	Autonomous Region
Italy	- not defined -

Halite mine, now operated by the company Italkali, located to the northeast of Racalmuto in the area Pantanelle-Sacchitello-Culma Prevola.

This modern mine exploits the Racalmuto saliferous deposit, one of the several halite-bearing bodies present in the sub-surface of central-western Sicily within the Caltanissetta evaporite basin. The mine, accessible through tunnels and ramps to heavy mining machinery, reaches a depth of one hundred metres and produces both food-grade and non-food-grade rock salt.

The salt deposit reaches a maximum apparent thickness of more than 1000 m and can be roughly divided into two main parts: a lower halite unit with minor kainite and carnallite layers and an upper halite unit. These two units are separated by several mud/halite cycles with a maximum tickness of ~10 m. The halite layer immediately below the mud/halite layer separating the two main evaporite units is strongly modified by closely spaced dissolution pipes, a few centimeters across, filled by clear halite cement and black mud to such an extent that it appears extremely difficult to reconstruct the original facies. This piped zone extends down up to a maximum depth of 10 m and can be interpreted by the effect of meteoric dissolution on subaerially exposed salt layers. A similar zone has been described in halite of Realmonte mine [see http://www.mindat.org/loc-271081.html], where the piped salt layers are commonly upturned to form tepee structures and are cut by spectacular vertical fissures interpreted as the bordering surfaces of giant contraction polygons which developed by the effect of annual temperature fluctuations on exposed salt layers. The exposure of the Racalmuto basin was interrupted by several floods which deposited argillaceous layers intercalated by newly formed halite. The upper halite unit consist of cumulates of halite skeletal hoppers showing further vertical overgrowth (chevron) that occurred at the bottom of the basin after initial growth at the brine surface. This halite shows dissolution pipes and irregular truncation of the halite crystal terminations, indicating precipitation from a non-stratified, relatively shallow water body, characteristics very similar to the upper halite unit of the Realmonte mine, immediately above the cracked surface.
Monophase or two-phase fluid microinclusions in halite are abundant.

Rock salt mining for alimentary needs of the local population in the Pantanelle-Sacchitello area has been undertaken since old time. The salt mines of Contrada Pantanelle and Contrada Sacchitello are mentioned by Jervis (1881). In this area the numerous shallow inclined holes were gradually substituted by larger mines. The Sicilian mining law of 1956, which put order into the mining sector by promoting the formation of consortia among the different concessionaires exploiting the same deposit, created the conditions whereby, in the course of a few years, the differently owned mines merged into a single company.

According to De Michele (1972), the mines of Contrada Pantanelle have yielded the best halite crystals of all Racalmuto area with colourless cubes often reaching 2-3 cm on edge.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References