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Dalln mine, Scheuerfeld
A place of discovery of rare minerals
The Dalln mine was first mentioned as an active trade union in 1792. Around 1820 cobalt and copper ore were mined for a short time, further minor mining took place in 1829, 1845 and 1858. A larger copper ore vein was discovered through newly excavated shafts in 1861 and mining began after a 100-part union was reorganized with four miners. In 1907 the Dallner pit was made accessible again and put into operation in 1913. For the other Scheuerfeld pits, only applications for approval of a permit to dismantle were made. One ton of copper ore and five tons of brown iron stone were mined in the Dallner mine, shortly afterwards the mine was closed in 1915. The prospecting success was probably low. The beginning of the First World War with acts of war against Belgium in the autumn of 1914 probably ended this mining project, which had barely begun.
Mine plan from 1918. The course of the tunnel and the "Dalln" mine field, which was awarded to copper and cobalt. The course of the vein highlighted in green shows the copper vein.
Rare minerals from the Dalln mine
The following minerals were found in the dump area of the Dalln mine near Scheuerfeld:
Alloklas, allophane, arseniosiderite, bismuthite, bornite, brochantite, chalcoalumite, chalcopyrite, chalcosine, chlorite, cuprite, cornubite, cornwallite, delafossite, goethite, hematite, cryptomelan, copper, malachite, oliveite, parnauite, pyritomalachite, pyritomalachite Tetrahedrite.
When determining the minerals found, EDX, Raman spectrum and an SXRD analysis method for arseniosiderite were carried out. My special thanks go to Mr. Günter Frenz, Cologne and Joy Desor from Bad Homburg.
View from the Dallner Pingen to the villages of Scheuerfeld and Walmenroth. Down the valley was the gallery of the Dalln pit.
Digging work on the mine dump.
Quartz crystals with a thin partina limonite. Image width: 9 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Hematite as red flakes on chlorite. Image width: 4.5 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Oliveite as fine needles in quartz. Image width: 2.5 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Parnauite as a great rarity. Image width: 1 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Alloklas as silver-gray ore. Image width: 4.2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Chalcoalumite as white, fibrous tufts. Image width: 1.8 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Allophane as sky-blue, knobbly crusts. Image width: 2.2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Pseudomalachite / Cornwallite as mixed crystal formation in limonite. Image width: 2.2 mm.
Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Malachite in quartz gland. Image width: 5.2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Arseniosiderite. Image width: 2.2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Bismuthite. Image width: 1 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Cuprite coarse in limonite. Image width: 2.4 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Cornubite. Image width: 3 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Bornite. Image width: 4.8 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Oliveite with malachite. Image width: 5.5 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Tetrahedrite in quartz. Image width: 2.6 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Quartz. Image width: 5 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Pseudomalachite. Image width: 3.4 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Oliveite. Image width: 5 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Bismuthite. Image width: 1.2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
Chalcoalumite with malachite. Image width: 2 mm. Collection: Matthias Reinhardt, Drolshagen.
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