Habach Valley

Habach Valley
Habach with Enzian Hut into the valley.
location	Salzburg , Austria
Waters	Habach
Geographical location	47 ° 12 '  N , 12 ° 21'  E Coordinates: 47 ° 12 '  N , 12 ° 21'  E
height	800 to  2000  m
length	14 km
particularities	Mineral deposits (Emerald Way)

The Habach Valley is a valley in the Hohe Tauern in the Pinzgau ( Land Salzburg ). Running in north-south direction, it is traversed by the Habach, which flows into the Salzach at the Habach district of Bramberg am Wildkogel .

The natural valley in the Hohe Tauern National Park is particularly important because of its emerald mine .

Location and landscape

View of the Habach Valley from the head of the valley

The Habach Valley at the Moa Alm

The valley lies in the area of ​​the Venediger group .

The head of the valley is about 2000 meters above sea level and is formed by the Habachkees (glacier). This is where the Habach rises, which is also fed by several side streams on its way to the Salzach . Over a length of around 14 km, the water swells into a strong torrent . The height difference of approx. 1200 meters is overcome in cascades and waterfalls .

The middle part of the valley has a slight gradient and has the typical trough shape, carved by glaciers . The closer the valley approaches the Salzach Valley, the more gorge-like it becomes. Mighty heaps of rubble pile up at the valley edges. At the end of the valley you can find the moraines on the slopes that once formed the mighty Habach glaciers. These heavily weathered moraines overlaid by layers of humus are hardly recognizable as such for inexperienced observer.

geology

Emeralds from the Habach Valley

The geological conditions in the Habach Valley are completely different from those in the neighboring valleys. The valley can be roughly divided into four rock zones. The northern slate zone at the valley exit is followed by a central gneiss zone . Then the Habach tongue, made of crystalline slate, pushes itself across the valley over a width of around 3 kilometers, the head of the valley is in the Venediger central gneiss zone.

These different rock sequences are easy to recognize even for a layperson when hiking through the valley. At the upper end of the Leckbachrinne, at the emerald mine, where the mountains break off almost vertically over the Black Wall into the neighboring Hollersbach valley , between chlorite and limestone mica schist there are deposits of serpentine , which here has broken down to talc . It differs from the somewhat deeper serpentine in its darker color and richness in minerals. B. grenades of various kinds, diopside , actinolite or clinochlor . This serpentine then “bites” deeper in the Leckbachgraben just above the “Klamml”. Small amounts of shiny slate , interspersed with individual ore lenses, occur here. Chalcopyrite (copper pyrites), pyrite and silver-containing galena ( galena ) are also found here .

Mineral-bearing dikes are very common in the central gneiss. The courses are mainly characterized by the high content of titanium-containing minerals. As a rule, quartz and feldspar have settled on the walls . The minerals then sit directly on the central gneiss on this thin base. In large cavities, in which the crystals could freely develop, one often finds magnificent, extensive rock crystals , smoky quartz or porcelain-like pericline . You can also find apatite , adulara , various tourmalines and chlorites . The occurrence of blue beryl , chrysoberyl and molybdenite should also be emphasized .

Emerald extraction

The targeted mining of emeralds has been documented since the 17th century, while mining activities dating back to Roman times or even the pre-Roman phase remain speculations. From 1862 to 1878 the emerald deposits were exploited by the Viennese jeweler Samuel Goldschmidt, and the 42-carat Habach valley emerald from the British Crown Jewels dates from this period . No longer profitable today, the emerald extraction is operated by the local Steiner family of emitters and primarily used for tourism.

→ Main article : Habachtal emerald mine

Management and settlement

View towards Berggasthof Alpenrose

The valley, which lies in the core zone of the Hohe Tauern National Park, was never permanently inhabited. The narrowness, but definitely the danger of avalanches in winter, prevent this.

In the summer months, some farmers from the Salzach Valley operate intensive alpine farming. Cows and horses graze the barren alpine pastures and slopes. The alpine milk produced in this way is processed into a type of cheese - the Pinzgauer - and often sold directly to hikers and visitors.

You can get to the valley today via a gravel road, which is closed to private traffic. It is best to hike from the valley entrance, even if a taxi service is set up in the summer and autumn months, which is operated by the managers of the Alpenrose and Enzianhütte houses . Both houses offer accommodation for hikers in addition to food. They serve as a basis for many mineral collectors. Via the Habach valley you can also climb to the Neue Thüringer Hütte , which in turn is the starting point for numerous high-alpine mountain climbs.

literature

• Josef Lahnsteiner: Oberpinzgau from Krimml to Kaprun. A collection of historical, art-historical and local history notes for friends of the homeland. Hollersbach 1965.
• Gerhard Niedermayr: Minerals, geology and emerald mining in Habach Valley, Pinzgau, State of Salzburg. A mineralogical hike for collectors and enthusiasts . Rainer Bode, Haltern am See 2003.
• Anna Pehersdorfer: The Habach valley in the Hohe Tauern with the emerald quarry . In: The nature lover. Announcements from the tourist association “Die Naturfreunde” in Vienna . Vol. 11 (1907), pp. 147-150.
• Christian Uhlir: Habach Valley Geological Trail (= natural history guide to the Hohe Tauern National Park , vol. 12). Austrian Alpine Club, Innsbruck 1994.

Web links

Commons : Habachtal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

1. ↑ Anna Pehersdorfer: The Habach Valley in the Hohe Tauern with the Emerald Quarry . In: The nature lover. Announcements from the tourist association “Die Naturfreunde” in Vienna . Vol. 11 (1907), pp. 147-150, here p. 148.