The Wolf mine belongs to the Siegerland siderite district where mining goes back to Celtic times. The ore of this district is primarily of sideritic type, with more or less developed oxidation zones where limonite and goethite are prevalent. Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ag, as well as Co and Ni minerals also occurred frequently — especially at the upper levels — and have mostly been mined at the beginning of modern mining. Mineralisation is of hydrothermal origin and developed as veins in Devonian sedimentary rocks (shales, sand- and siltstone) of the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge. The Wolf mine was characterised by a deeply developed oxidation zone (to a depth of almost 400 m), probably due to the influence of the intrusion of Tertiary basaltic melts in the area, which provided thermal energy and fluid flow, favouring the alteration of the siderite veins. The rhodochrosite finds were restricted to the limonitic ores of the oxidation zone. Towards depth, the ore became sideritic with quartz gangue and towards the roots of the veins, the quartz content increased.

The Wolf mine is one of the younger mines of the district. Mining started about 1870 when limonite ore was extracted via adits. In 1890, the Reifenrath brothers from Neunkirchen acquired the mine and sank a shaft. Having reached a depth of 300 m, the mine was sold in 1917 to the Krupp company from Essen and modernised by the installation of new steam-machines for haulage. The water pumps were fitted with an electric power supply. Consequently, the extraction tonnage increased to 4,000–5,000 tonnes per month. During the 1920s, 200 to 250 miners worked at the mine. In 1925, the mining stopped due to economic reasons. The surface installations were demolished, and the mine was flooded. 10 years later, the reopening was prepared by pumping out the mine and installing new surface installations. This included an electric hauling machine and a cableway to transport the ore to the central processing plant at the Füsseberg mine in Daaden-Biersdorf. On May 1, 1937, the mine was reopened. With an extraction of 84,000 tonnes of ore, the year 1944 marks the best yield in the history of the mine. However, in 1945, the mine closed again due to the impact of World War II, and it was flooded once more. In 1953/54, the last mining period at the Wolf mine started: it was then consolidated with the San Fernando, Friedrich-Wilhelm, Füsseberg and Große Burg mines into a combined mining complex. The mined ore was transported underground to the San Fernando mine and hauled and processed there. Finally, in 1962, the mine was completely closed. In total, 1,245,682 tonnes of iron ore have been extracted. The headframe was finally demolished in 1975. Through the years, an industrial estate has been developed on the site.

Rhodochrosite from the Wolf mine is probably one of the best-known mineral species from Germany in the world. The specimens from there are considered the best in Europe, and they are present in museums and collections worldwide. Finds were restricted to the active mining period, so nowadays specimens from there are highly sought after and increasing in value. The rhodochrosite varies in colour from salmon pinkish to raspberry pink or orange-reddish to brownish. Typically, it is associated with limonitic matrix, where it forms crystals and aggregates in vugs of the ore. The habit varies from single millet-seed-shaped crystals to star- or hedgehog-shaped aggregates of those, barrel- and cone-shaped crystals, as well as sheave-like aggregates. Most of the crystals are built by numerous small, steep scalenohedral individuals. The crystals reach up to about 2 cm in size, and larger crystals have been extremely rare. The majority of the crystallised samples show crystal sizes from a few mm to about 1 cm. Botryoidal and spherical aggregates and coatings were also common. The aggregates often show a 'raspberry'-like habit ('Himbeerspat' — raspberry spar — Breithaupt, 1832). The most beautiful specimens are of a deep orange-pink colour; they are translucent and provide a great contrast to the limonite matrix. Combo specimens of rhodochrosite with malachite-coated crystals of native copper (reaching sizes of up to about 3 cm) on the matrix are the most interesting association of the Wolf mine. The best and richest specimens were found in a zone around the 350 m level.

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Wikipedia:	https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grube_Wolf
Wikidata ID:	Q1438301

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References