Provenite

Habach valley (Habachtal), Hohe Tauern

AreaUnknownDraft data

47.2049° N, 12.3493° E · ± 10 km

Beryl and Emerald from Salzburg, Austria, with photos of specimens from this locality.

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Minerals found here

BerylEmerald

Beryl at Habach valley (Habachtal), Hohe Tauern

Green-blue beryl crystal on matrix from the Habach valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria.
Green-blue beryl crystal on matrix from the Habach valley, Hohe Tauern, Salzburg, Austria.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Green-blue beryl specimen with its old label from the Habach valley, Salzburg, Austria.
Green-blue beryl specimen with its old label from the Habach valley, Salzburg, Austria.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
Morphology
Prismatic hexagonal crystals on matrix
Typical size
About 1.7 cm on the pictured specimen
Color / luster
Green-blue to blue (non-emerald beryl); emerald green material is also known from the valley
Availability
Unknown
History
Emerald mining in the valley is documented from the 17th century

Sources: SRC-702 SRC-701

About Beryl →

Emerald at Habach valley (Habachtal), Hohe Tauern

Light green emerald crystal of 1.5 cm on mica schist, an old specimen from the Habach valley.
Light green emerald crystal of 1.5 cm on mica schist, an old specimen from the Habach valley.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
An 8 mm deep green emerald crystal in mica schist from the Habach valley.
An 8 mm deep green emerald crystal in mica schist from the Habach valley.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Green emerald crystal of 2.2 cm set in biotite schist, Habachtal.
Green emerald crystal of 2.2 cm set in biotite schist, Habachtal.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Bluish-green emerald crystal of 2.3 cm on biotite schist from the Leckbachrinne emerald deposit, Habach valley.
Bluish-green emerald crystal of 2.3 cm on biotite schist from the Leckbachrinne emerald deposit, Habach valley.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
A 2.5 cm green emerald crystal against biotite schist from the Leckbachrinne emerald deposit, Habach valley.
A 2.5 cm green emerald crystal against biotite schist from the Leckbachrinne emerald deposit, Habach valley.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Formula
Be3Al2Si6O18
Morphology
Hexagonal prisms embedded in or attached to schist
Typical size
Crystals about 1-2.5 cm
Color / luster
Light to rich green, some bluish green; translucent, vitreous
Associated minerals
Biotite (schist matrix)
History
Emerald mining is documented from the 17th century; the Viennese jeweller Samuel Goldschmidt worked the deposit from 1862 to 1878

Sources: SRC-702 SRC-820

About Emerald →

Geology of the locality

Setting
Alpine valley in the Hohe Tauern with crystalline schists, chlorite and calcareous mica schists and serpentine; beryl occurs in mineral veins in the Zentralgneis and as emerald at the head of the Leckbachrinne
Type
Hydrothermal
Region
Salzburg
Country
Austria

Coordinates are the valley position from German Wikipedia; the specimen labels name only the Habach valley.

Sources: SRC-702

Sources

  1. SRC-702 · Website
    HabachtalWikipedia contributors · Wikipedia (German)
  2. SRC-701 · Website
    File:Beryl-189265.jpgRobert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons
  3. SRC-820 · Website
    File:Beryl-157392.jpg (Wikimedia Commons)Robert M. Lavinsky · Wikimedia Commons

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.