The Lengenbach Quarry is located in the
Binn Valley
The Binn Valley (German: ''Binntal'') is a valley of the Alps, located on the north side of the Lepontine Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The valley is drained by the ''Binna'', a tributary of the Rhone, at Grengiols. The valley is named afte ...
(
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
) and it is noted among the mineralogical community for its unusual
sulfosalt
Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula , where
*A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium
*B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely ...
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ( ...
specimens.
The
dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
hosted deposit of the quarry is in the Binn Valley, a small valley in the southwest of Switzerland in the Swiss canton of
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...
. To its south lies
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Mineralogy
The mineralogy has been studied for nearly 200 years. Lengenbach is the
type locality for 48 minerals.
References
Bibliography on the mineralogy and geology of Lengenbach quarry Binntal minerals information
{{coord, 46, 22, 00, N, 8, 11, 30, E, region:CH-VS_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title
Sulfosalt minerals
Economy of Switzerland
Mining in Switzerland
Surface mines in Switzerland
Geography of Valais
Quarries