| It is not possible to write a chapter about the mineral galena without looking at the history of lead and silver to name two of the most important raw materials and materials of humanity. How long people processed galena as main ore for the production of lead is unknown. As lead inter alia used as a ... moreIt is not possible to write a chapter about the mineral galena without looking at the history of lead and silver to name two of the most important raw materials and materials of humanity. How long people processed galena as main ore for the production of lead is unknown. As lead inter alia used as an additive to various melts (e.g. to bronze and the salt-cementation process for gold extraction) one can assume that the properties of this mineral were known before 3000 BC. Other sources speak of a history of lead about 7000-9000 years BC back. |
| Report about a geologic - and geology of deposits excursion through central and southern Namibia as well as the Namaqualand bordering to the South and parts of the Northern cape in autumn, 2009., Amongst other localities in Namibia the author visited the tin deposit Uis, the explorations project Na ... moreReport about a geologic - and geology of deposits excursion through central and southern Namibia as well as the Namaqualand bordering to the South and parts of the Northern cape in autumn, 2009., Amongst other localities in Namibia the author visited the tin deposit Uis, the explorations project Namib Lead near Swakopmund, as well as the important mines Rosh Pinah and Scorpion Zinc in the south of Namibia. In the Republic South Africa the trip led to the copper mining region of Okiep as well as the lead zinc mines of Aggeneys and, finally, to the Kalahari manganese ore districts of Postmasburg and Kuruman. (Full text in german) |
| Calcite is one of the most abundant natural minerals. It is found in very different shapes, both compact as limestone as well as sinter in caves and in the crystalline state. But even in our daily life calcite is always present: in some regions it blockes water pipes as "chalk", we build our houses ... moreCalcite is one of the most abundant natural minerals. It is found in very different shapes, both compact as limestone as well as sinter in caves and in the crystalline state. But even in our daily life calcite is always present: in some regions it blockes water pipes as "chalk", we build our houses with it, it is in our food chain and without it we could not stand upright. Calcite is not rare, but the varied mineral on Earth. The variety of forms and variations of the forms of calcite are unmatched in the world of mineralogy. By 2009, more than 800 Calcit forms have been described. |