The Lengenbach Quarry
The Lengenbach quarry in the Binntal, Valais, Switzerland, is a prestigious mineral locality. Located in Triassic meta-dolomites the quarry has been a provider of rare and well-crystallized, primarily Pb, Tl, Ag, Cu bearing sulfosalts for more than 200 years now. It is the type-locality for 32 different mineral species, making it one of the most prolific localities worlwide. In the summer months the quarry dumps serve as an attraction to equally eager tourists and mineral collectors.
FGL's Goals
The Lengenbach quarry is operated by the Forschungsgemeinschaft Lengenbach FGL (Lengenbach Research Association), financed by a dozen idealistic collectors and by the local community of Binn. The purpose of the association is to promote the scientific research on the unique minerals of the Lengenbach locality and of other dolomite localities in the Binn valley. An intermittent, measured specimen extraction at the Lengenbach locality shall guarantee the potential for scientific investigations on the one hand and – for the support of tourism in the Binn Valley – deliver dolomite material for a (if possible) publicly accessible dump on the other hand.
Support Association VFL
| The Verein Freunde Lengenbach is a group of mineral collectors who actively support the FGL in its effort to maintain a specimen extraction in the quarry. These friends of Lengenbach contribute financially, through a modest yearly membership fee, and operatively to the FGL activities. In exchange they receive a preferred access to information around the FGL's activities. |
Preferred Associated Scientists (PAS)
Besides the internal scientists within the FGL the association also relies on external scientists with whom a formal collaboration has been established. These so-called Preferred Associated Scientists (PAS) receive from the FGL preferred access to information and specimens and commit to special investigations and information thereon. Such a relation has been successfully formalized with Prof. Fabrizio Nestola, University Padua, I; Dr. Dan Topa, Natural History Museum, Vienna; and Dr. Jakub Plášil, Institute of Physics ASCR, Prague.
Contacts
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Forschungsgemeinschaft Lengengenbach (FGL) phroth(at)sunrise.ch
Verein Freunde Lengenbach (VFL) Dr. Eva Drechsler e.drechsler(at)izone.at |