Mining in Saxony-Anhalt
Various raw materials have been mined in Saxony-Anhalt for more than 1,000 years . One of the oldest branches of mining is salt extraction from brine , which in Halle dates back to the Bronze Age . The mining of copper slate in the area around Mansfeld has been documented since 1200 , but here and in the Harz Mountains too, ore extraction and smelting goes back to this Bronze Age. The hard coal and lignite mining as well as the mining (underground) extraction of hard and potash salt, on the other hand, only gained importance in the 19th century, although here too the beginnings of mining sometimes go back to the 14th century.
The State Office for Geology and Mining is currently overseeing operations
- around 220 stone and earth companies,
- 27 lignite mining operations, including 2 mining operations ( MIBRAG , Romonta ) in the central German lignite mining area ,
- 24 underground mining operations, including 12 potash, salt, ore and spar mining operations, 2 offset mining operations, 1 underground landfill, 1 repository for radioactive waste ( Morsleben repository ) and 8 visitor mines and caves,
- 1 natural gas production facility, 8 underground storage facilities for storing natural gas and other products, and 7 brine production facilities.
Potash and rock salt extraction are particularly important. 35% of the potash salt production and 22% of the rock salt production in Germany are accounted for by the companies in Saxony-Anhalt. Lignite mining, which has been highly industrialized since the 20th century , with its opencast mines and residual lakes has permanently changed the landscape in the Central German mining district.
A total of around 6,000 people are still employed in mining in Saxony-Anhalt today.
Brown coal
Lignite is one of the main raw materials in Saxony-Anhalt. The extensive development of the extensive tertiary brown coal deposits began in connection with the rapid industrialization of central Germany in the 19th century.
Areas on the border with Lower Saxony and large areas in the south-east of the country emerged as the main mining areas .
To a lesser extent, lignite was also extracted in civil engineering near Riestedt , in Fläming ( Coswig ) and in Altmark near Kläden, as well as through the Alfred mine in Calbe . Other smaller occurrences were in the area around Eisleben near Helfta , Volkstedt and Polleben .
Initially, lignite was primarily used as an energy source, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was also increasingly used as a raw material for the chemical industry. Tar was obtained from brown coal by smoldering , from which high-quality mineral oil products (paraffins, oils) were produced by distillation. Lignite retained its primary importance as an energy source until 1990. In Central Germany, funding reached its peak in the 1980s. As part of the restructuring after German reunification, the lignite industry experienced drastic cuts after 1990, mining and processing could no longer be continued at the previous level for ecological reasons (large land use, high groundwater subsidence, severe air pollution).
However, parts of the lignite industry have been successfully privatized. By modernizing the extraction and refining plants and building new, efficient and environmentally friendly power plants such as the Schkopau power plant , important industrial cores could be preserved. The energy source lignite remains important in Saxony-Anhalt. In 2010, lignite accounted for 51% of the country's electricity generation.
There are currently 27 lignite mining operations under the supervision of the State Office for Geology and Mining. These include 11 open-cast mines (2 in extraction, 9 in disuse), 12 refinement plants (2 in operation, 10 in disuse) and 4 mine power plants . Lignite is currently being extracted by the Mitteldeutsche Braunkohlengesellschaft (MIBRAG) in the Profen open-cast mine and Romonta GmbH in the Amsdorf open-cast mine . The two companies mine around 6 million tons of lignite annually to generate energy (electricity, district heating) and special products (lignite dust, wax).
The Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft (LMBV) is renovating 9 disused opencast mines, which are flooded in a controlled manner according to their design.
Hard coal
Hard coal was u on a smaller scale. a. Mined in Halle in the formerly royal Dölau hard coal mine and in the area of the Wittekind valley, and also in Wettin , Löbejün and Plötz until the 20th century . Further deposits were exploited in the northern Harz and the foreland / Magdeburger Börde until the 19th century (including Wefensleben , Quedlinburg , Thale , Ballenstedt ).
Iron ore
Iron ore was verifiably mined and processed in the Harz around the Elbingeröder complex , in Elbingerode , Almond Wood , Büchenberg and Braunesumpf mine , since at least the 10th century, see also Erzstufenbahn . More recent archaeological finds suggest that iron mining and prevention have existed since the 4th century. The mining of iron ore was finally stopped in Braunsumpf in 1969 and in Büchenberg in 1970. It is estimated that there are still around 80 million t of iron ore in this area, but mining is currently not worthwhile. Another iron ore deposit is located near Marienborn , which, however, is not worth mining .
Since the mid-1960s, the Drei Kronen & Ehrt mine has no longer extracted the previous iron ore , only pyrite . The dismantling continued until 1990.
limestone
Limestone is mined for road construction and for cement and lime extraction at various locations. He is sponsored in Bernburg and Walbeck, among others.
gravel and sand
In the whole of Saxony-Anhalt, gravel and sand are extracted in partly large open-cast mines, mostly glacial , more rarely fluvial origin. They are mainly used for the building trade for (concrete production) and the sand for asphalt . Many dredging holes are evidence of the mining activity .
Copper ore
In the Mansfelder Land , copper slate was mined until Germany's reunification . There are copper deposits with a more or less high copper content in large parts of Saxony-Anhalt. In the Edderitzer Mulde north of Halle, an image of mining is currently being examined for copper.
Rhyolite ("porphyry")
Löbejün porphyry has been mined in Löbejün since 1518 , and it was also mined on Spitzberg . There were quarries in rhyolites in other places in the Halle volcanic complex . This stone was and is mainly used in road and track construction. It is also a material that has been used for a long time as a natural stone in building construction.
In addition, rhyolite is mined in Flechtingen, one of the northernmost deposits of hard rock on the surface in Germany.
salt
Lignite and salt were and are the most important raw materials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Especially the partly early Christian salt production is documented in the form of field and place names such as B. Salzlandkreis , Salzelmen and Halle . The salt domes all come from the Zechstein Sea . It is potash and rock salt promoted.
Many of these old potash and rock salt mines have now been shut down. B. the potash works Richard and Reichskrone , Orlas and Nebra , Wils , Ernsthall , Johannashall , Oberröblingen , Adler and Rastenberg .
Today's locations are Bernburg and Zielitz , with an overburden dump , the so-called Kalimanjaro made of rock salt , and formerly in Morsleben , where the Morsleben repository for radioactive waste is now located.
Spade
From the late 19th century, heavy spar was extracted in the pits near Stolberg and Rottleberode and fluorspar in large quantities near Biwender , on the western Straßberg , near Gernrode and near Siptenfelde . The most important fluorspar deposit in the Harz was near Rottleberode. Furthermore, antimonite , wolframite , zinc blende , copper pyrites , pyrite , hematite and iron spar were extracted from time to time.
Precious metals
Silver has been mined in the southern Harz region at least since the Middle Ages . However, the deposits have been exploited for a long time. There were also small gold and palladium deposits at Tilkerode .
kaolin
Kaolin and white-burning clay are still extracted from pits in the Halle (Saale) area near Salzmünde / Möderau, Etzdorf, Morl, Spergau and Rossbach . Other - mostly closed - kaolin pits are located around Lieskau and Röblingen am See .
literature
- Eckhard Oelke : Good luck! Mining and mining regions in Saxony-Anhalt. Excursion guide . MDV Verlag, Halle 2002.
- Klaus Stedingk: The potential of ores and spades in Saxony-Anhalt. (PDF 4.82 MB) In: Communications on the geology and mining of Saxony-Anhalt, supplement 5 (2002) Raw materials report 2002: Distribution, extraction and safeguarding of mineral raw materials in Saxony-Anhalt. LAGB, 2002, archived from the original on May 3, 2007 ; Retrieved March 21, 2010 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lignite mining ( Memento from September 13, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
- ^ Mines and civil engineering companies ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Natural gas production and underground storage ( memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ^ Lignite mining near Riestedt ( Memento from August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Former coal mine attracts thousands of guests every year ( Memento from September 5, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ For 82 years trains connected Salzwedel and the Arendsee
- ^ Mining in the Mansfelder Land ( Memento from March 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ State Statistical Office of Saxony-Anhalt: In the power plants for general supply, the local lignite remains the most important energy supplier
- ↑ Lignite mining in Saxony-Anhalt ( Memento from February 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 454 kB)
- ^ Klaus Friedrich / Manfred Frühauf : Halle and its surroundings: geographical excursion guide . mdv Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale), 2002
- ↑ Hans Martin Latk: On the history of the Wettin coal mining. (Pdf, 1.6MB) Archived from the original on January 12, 2016 ; Retrieved February 29, 2012 .
- ^ Coal mining in Saxony-Anhalt. Bringezu, Horst. - Halle: State Home Association of Saxony-Anhalt, 2005
- ↑ Companies want to track down copper deposits
- ↑ Mineralienatlas ( Memento from June 25, 2014 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ Raw materials report 2002 - Potential of ores and spades in Saxony-Anhalt (PDF; 5.1 MB)
- ↑ Kaolin- und Tonwerke Salzmünde GmbH (Ed.): 190 Years of Kaolin- and Tonwerke Salzmünde, Verlag Störr Usedom, 2008
Web links
- State Association of Miners, Huts and Miners' Associations Saxony-Anhalt eV ( Memento from June 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Mining areas of Saxony-Anhalt