E-Shop

Locations

Mont Chemin, Martigny, VS (alt. 600-1400 m)
Geologically speaking, Mont Chemin is actually the northernmost part of the Mont Blanc Massif. It is well known for its variety of minerals, including scheelite. Nowadays, it requires a lot of efforts to make good finds.
Minerals : Epidote, Erythrite, Hematite, Pyrite, Quartz, Scheelite, Titanite,…

Salanfe, Evionnaz, VS (alt. 2200 m)
A gold mine from the 20th century, mostly Arsenic-bearing minerals. The spot is accessible only in the summer, and material is very oxidised, making identification difficult. Since it is quite remote, I usually spend the night in my tent.
Minerals : Arsenopyrite, Löllingite, Malachite

Tête Noire, Trient, VS (alt. 1200 m)
Quartz veins exploited since the 1970s, finds are hard nowadays. The local quartz has a typical grey to blue colour, due to microscopic inclusion of carboniferous sands. Brookite can be found, but good quality is hard to find.
Minerals : Quartz, Brookite

Les Trappistes, Sembrancher, VS (alt. 700 m)
A fluorite mine opened in the 20th century, exploiting a Pb-F vein. Today, it is still possible to find material in the dumps, but usually pieces are quite damaged by the mechanical wear. Digging in the mud can be rewarding.
Minerals : Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite, Smithsonite, Allanite, Wulfenite

Glacier de Trient, VS (alt. 2300-3200 m)
The retreating glaciers are a sad reality, yet they provide opportunities for new discoveries.
Approach to Trient glacier requires mountaineering skills and prudence under the ice cliffs.
Minerals : Smoky quartz, Adularia, Palygorskite, Pyrite

Val d’Anniviers, VS (alt. 700 m)
Many old mines are still visible in the valley. Some of them, perched on cliffs, are very dangerous to access. Several microminerals can be found, especially some colourful Cu and Co species.
Minerals : Anglesite, Azurite, Erythrite, Malachite

Bergheim, Alsace, France (alt. 300 m)
At a complex geological location in the Rhine valley, the region is home to breccia rich in amethyst, fluorite and barite.
Minerals : Quartz, Amethyst, Fluorite

Château-Lambert, Vosges, France (alt. 800 m)
An ancient silver mine known for its molybdenite occurrence (one of the few places in France for this mineral, MoS₂).
Minerals : Malachite, Molybdenite.

Hennenloch Mine, Black Forest, Germany (alt. 400 m)
An ancient copper-bismuth mine, long abandoned and quite hard to locate. Only a gallery and a shaft remain. It took me days to dig under the chestnut leaves to find remarkable specimens of siderite, at various stages of pseudomorphosis into goethite.
Minerals : Siderite, Hematite, Baryte, Quartz, Psilomelane, Bismuthinite.

Lavrio Mining District, Greece (alt. 0-200 m)
Antique metallic mines that made the wealth of the Greek Empire. Nowadays, the dumps and slags still provide interesting minerals, especially for micromounts. Also a world famous location for Annabergite crystals, (Ni,Co)₃(AsO₄)₂.8H₂O
Nowadays, part of the sector is within a national park, and collecting is restricted.
Minerals : Annabergite, Aurichalcite, Azurite, Calcite, Conichalcite, Dolomite, Fluorite, Hemimorphite, Smithsonite,…

Sainte-Marie aux Mines, France (alt. 400-1200m)
France’s most famous mining district dates back to the Middle Ages. Now the town is famous also for its mineral show, the world’s second largest after Tucson, AZ (USA).
Minerals : Silver, copper, lead, copper, arsenic and cobalt minerals… and many others

Photos © Jean Heintz.