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Mežica, Sloveniai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mežica | Municipality |
| Slovenia | Country |
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Neighbouring regions:
Type:
Largest Settlements:
| Place | Population |
|---|---|
| Mežica | 3,254 (2014) |
| Podkraj pri Mežici | 113 (2014) |
Museums in region:
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Miess; Mieß
Other Languages:
French:
Mežica, Slovénie
German:
Mežica, Slowenien
Russian:
Межица, Словения
Simplified Chinese:
梅日察, 斯洛文尼亚
Slovenian:
Mežica, Slovenija
Arabic:
مجيستا, سلوفينيا
Belarusian:
Межыца, Славенія
Bosnian:
Mežica
Cebuano:
Mežica
Croatian:
Mežica, Slovenija
Dutch:
Mežica, Slovenië
Farsi/Persian:
مژیتسا, اسلوونی
Japanese:
メージツァ, スロベニア
Korean:
메지차, 슬로베니아
Polish:
Mežica, Słowenia
Portuguese:
Mežica, Eslovénia
Romanian:
Mežica, Slovenia
Serbian:
Межица, Словенија
Serbo-Croatian:
Mežica
Slovak:
Mežica, Slovinsko
Ukrainian:
Межиця, Словенія
Vietnamese:
Mežica, Slovenia
The Municipality of Mežica (pronounced [mɛˈʒiːtsa]; Slovene: Občina Mežica) is a municipality in the traditional region of Carinthia in northern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the town of Mežica. Mežica became a municipality in 1994. It borders Austria.
The Mežica lead-zinc deposit belongs to the Mississippi-Valley-Type (MVT) lead-zinc ore deposits. It is located on the eastern edge of the Karavanke mountains (NE Slovenia) and is believed to be genetically related to two other Karawankian lead-zinc deposits, Bleiberg and Raibl. The orebodies were metasomatically emplaced into Triassic carbonate rocks by an injection of solvothermal ore solutions into a pre-existing, possibly karstified system of subvertical cross-alpine faults. The majority of the orebodies are discordant along the major fault lines, with minor interstratified orebodies along the more soluble layers of the host rock. The main ore minerals are galena and sphalerite, while other sulphides occur in small quantities. Through the open system of faults, meteoric waters reached and oxidized the sulphide ores down to extreme depths of probably more than 2 km. During oxidation, most of the interesting mineral associations were formed. The most abundant mineral in the oxidation zone is definitely wulfenite, which has even been mined as a molybdenum ore. Other common oxidation minerals include anglesite, cerussite, hemimorphite, smithsonite, and descloizite. At present, only 30 different minerals are known from the Mežica mines, but there are many more that are waiting to be discovered.
Centuries of mining history have left a unique mark on life in the upper Meža valley. Over 350 orebodies were mined over the 64 km² wide mountainous area east of Peca Mountain. During the 350-years-long history of mining, over 1,000 km of tunnels, used for ore tracking and transportation, were excavated together with several hundred kilometres of stopes and other mine workings on the existing orebodies. Nowadays, numerous surface pits and more than 300 mine adits are still visible in the upper sections of the Meža valley ore deposit. The highest mine workings are located just under the Peca peak at an elevation of 2060 m, while the ore has been followed all the way down to a depth of 240 m above sea level. Mežica is one of the world's richest wulfenite deposits, and most of the major mineralogical collections or museums have at least one specimen from this classic Slovenian locality.
Located 55 km northeast of Ljubljana.
The Topla deposit is a nearby, smaller deposit of the same type.
There are several hundreds of published professional and scientific references related to the Mežica Mines. Here, only those are listed that contain valuable information on the mineralogy of this locality. Further references are cited therein.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities33 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Anglesite Formula: PbSO4 Localities: Habit: prismatic crystals up to 4cm Colour: white to gray |
| ⓘ Arsenopyrite Formula: FeAsS Localities: |
| ⓘ Baryte Formula: BaSO4 Localities: |
| ⓘ 'Calamine' Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 |
| ⓘ Cerussite Formula: PbCO3 Localities: Description: Adamantine crystals 5-10mm in size (sometimes as trilling twins in galena (Bancroft et al., 1991) |
| ⓘ Chalcocite Formula: Cu2S Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ D'Ansite-(Fe) Formula: Na21Fe2+(SO4)10Cl3 Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Descloizite Formula: PbZn(VO4)(OH) Localities: Colour: yellowish to reddish brown Description: Tiny (<1mm) crystals usually in association with wulfenite. Druses typically occur coating wulfenite and calcite crystals (Bancroft et al., 1991) |
| ⓘ Dolomite Formula: CaMg(CO3)2 Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Epsomite Formula: MgSO4 · 7H2O Localities: Description: Epsomite crystals can be found as post-mining encrustations on the walls of old workings (Bancroft et al., 1991) |
| ⓘ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 Localities: |
| ⓘ Galena Formula: PbS Localities: Habit: formless masses; poorly formed crystals in coarse intergrowths, rarely as specimens showing octahedral faces on the surfaces of lumps Description: The main ore mineral at Mežica |
| ⓘ Goethite Formula: Fe3+O(OH) Localities: |
| ⓘ Greenockite Formula: CdS Localities: Habit: powdery coatings on sulfides Colour: yellow |
| ⓘ Gypsum Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O Localities: Description: Elongated crystals can be found embedded in marl or clay, and also as thin coatings on limestone and sulfides (Bancroft et al., 1991) |
| ⓘ Hemimorphite Formula: Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O Localities: Habit: fibrous Description: Typically occurs with smithsonite as fibrous crystals in vugs |
| ⓘ Hydrozincite Formula: Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 Localities: Habit: curtain-like sheets and small stalactites associated with smithsonite; vug fillings in galena and sphalerite Colour: white |
| ⓘ Ilsemannite Formula: Mo3O8 · nH2O Localities: |
| ⓘ Jordisite Formula: MoS2 References: Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp. |
| ⓘ 'Limonite' |
| ⓘ Litharge Formula: PbO Localities: |
| ⓘ Marcasite Formula: FeS2 Localities: Description: Large and small veins and lenses in schist, typically associated with pyrite |
| ⓘ Massicot Formula: PbO Localities: |
| ⓘ Melanterite Formula: Fe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O Localities: Description: Crystals can be found as a post-mining growth on the walls of old workings |
| ⓘ 'Melnikovite' Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Minium Formula: Pb3O4 Localities: |
| ⓘ Molybdenite Formula: MoS2 References: Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp. |
| ⓘ Native Sulphur Formula: S8 Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 Localities: Description: Ubiquitous in veins and lenses of all sizes, especially in schist |
| ⓘ Pyromorphite Formula: Pb5(PO4)3Cl References: Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp. |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Locality: Mežica Mines, Mežica, Slovenia |
| ⓘ Smithsonite Formula: ZnCO3 Localities: Habit: Crusts and tuberous conglomerations Description: In limestone cracks and fissures near high concentrations of sphalerite. |
| ⓘ Sphalerite Formula: ZnS Localities: Description: The principal ore of zinc at Mežica occurs primarily as small grains embedded in calcite and dolomite, and as veins and lenticular aggregate. Well-formed crystals are unknown. |
| ⓘ Wulfenite Formula: Pb(MoO4) |
| ⓘ Wurtzite Formula: (Zn,Fe)S References: Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Sulphur | 1.CC.05 | S8 |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| ⓘ | Chalcocite | 2.BA.05 | Cu2S |
| ⓘ | Sphalerite | 2.CB.05a | ZnS |
| ⓘ | Greenockite | 2.CB.45 | CdS |
| ⓘ | Wurtzite | 2.CB.45 | (Zn,Fe)S |
| ⓘ | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
| ⓘ | Jordisite | 2.EA.30 | MoS2 |
| ⓘ | Molybdenite | 2.EA.30 | MoS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Marcasite | 2.EB.10a | FeS2 |
| ⓘ | Arsenopyrite | 2.EB.20 | FeAsS |
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
| ⓘ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Goethite | 4.00. | Fe3+O(OH) |
| ⓘ | Litharge | 4.AC.20 | PbO |
| ⓘ | Massicot | 4.AC.25 | PbO |
| ⓘ | Minium | 4.BD.05 | Pb3O4 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | Ilsemannite | 4.FJ.15 | Mo3O8 · nH2O |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Smithsonite | 5.AB.05 | ZnCO3 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| ⓘ | Cerussite | 5.AB.15 | PbCO3 |
| ⓘ | Hydrozincite | 5.BA.15 | Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| ⓘ | Anglesite | 7.AD.35 | PbSO4 |
| ⓘ | Baryte | 7.AD.35 | BaSO4 |
| ⓘ | D'Ansite-(Fe) | 7.BC. | Na21Fe2+(SO4)10Cl3 |
| ⓘ | Melanterite | 7.CB.35 | Fe2+(H2O)6SO4 · H2O |
| ⓘ | Epsomite | 7.CB.40 | MgSO4 · 7H2O |
| ⓘ | Gypsum | 7.CD.40 | CaSO4 · 2H2O |
| ⓘ | Wulfenite | 7.GA.05 | Pb(MoO4) |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| ⓘ | Descloizite | 8.BH.40 | PbZn(VO4)(OH) |
| ⓘ | Pyromorphite | 8.BN.05 | Pb5(PO4)3Cl |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Hemimorphite | 9.BD.10 | Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Limonite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Melnikovite' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Calamine' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Fossils
There are 2 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.
| Occurrences | 34 |
|---|---|
| Youngest Fossil Listed | 228 Ma (Late/Upper Triassic) |
| Oldest Fossil Listed | 242 Ma (Middle Triassic) |
| Fossils from Region | Click here to show the list. |
| Fossil Localities | Click to show 2 fossil localities |
Other Databases
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipality_of_Me%C5%BEica |
|---|---|
| Wikidata ID: | Q678147 |
| GeoNames ID: | 3239177 |
Localities in this Region
Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
- Panonian BasinWide Rift
Europe
- The AlpsMountain Range
- Karawanks (Karavankas; Karavanks)Mountain Range
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
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References
Hurlbut, Cornelius S. (1955) Wulfenite symmetry as shown on crystals from Jugoslavia. American Mineralogist, 40 (9-10) 857-860
Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp.
Herlec, Uroš, Spangenberg, Jorge E., Lavrič, Jošt V. (2010) Sulfur isotope variations from orebody to hand-specimen scale at the Mežica lead–zinc deposit, Slovenia: a predominantly biogenic pattern. Mineralium Deposita, 45 (6) 531-547 doi:10.1007/s00126-010-0290-y
Rečnik, A. (2010) Minerals of the lead and zinc ore deposit Mežica. Bode Verlag GmbH, Nemčija, Slovenia, & Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 112 pp.
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Mežica, Slovenia