Sitarjevec mine, Litija, Sloveniai

Regional Level Types
Sitarjevec mine	Mine
Litija	Municipality
Slovenia	Country

One of the oldest mines in Slovenia, dating back to Roman times. Mining stopped in 1965.
Hydrothermal Pb-Zn-Ba mineralisation in carbonian sandstone. Several smaller mines with similar mineralisation are in the vicinity of Litija.
More than 60 minerals are presently known (Sabina Kramar, pers. comm. to U. Kolitsch, 2009).

The Litija (Sitarjevec) mine, first documented in the 16th century, is historically significant for the influx of Protestant miners from Bavaria and Saxony (Germany). Early mining reports indicate that lead was the principal commodity, while mercury and iron were produced as by-products. The mine underwent several closures and reopenings over the centuries, eventually being regarded as abandoned until its reopening in 1875. Shortly thereafter, it emerged as one of the largest lead mines in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, producing lead along with smaller amounts of mercury, silver, baryte, and zinc. The mine ceased its operations permanently in 1965. Between 1880 and 1965, more than 50 Mt of Pb, 30 Mt of Ba, approximately 158 t of Hg, and 2700 kg of Ag were extracted from the Litija deposit. Although the mine closed in 1965, the deposit still contains about 40 ore veins, 30 % of which are considered economically significant. The total resources in the Litija orefield are estimated to be approximately 40 Mt, predominantly comprising galena and baryte ore.
The mineralization in the Litija deposit is predominantly hosted in NW–SE striking veins with dips up to 40° NE. The mine is characterized by several larger ore bodies (Erzlager), namely Alma, Groll, Nada, Zora, Dana and Daza, ranging from 100–300 m long and up to 2 m thick. Surrounding the larger orebodies are clusters of up to 40 smaller veins and veinlets running parallel to the main vein. The mineralized veins in the Litija deposit are subdivided into (1) baryte veins, (2) baryte-galena veins, (3) galena-sphalerite veins and (4) sphalerite veins. Alma is also the largest vein system in the Litija deposit. The vein system of the Alma orebody is about 100 m high and 150–270 m wide, with a vein thickness between 30–200 cm. The orebody is abruptly cut off by an overthrust plane that runs along the third shale horizon at the depth of 250 m. All orebodies were further dissected and vertically and laterally displaced along WNW–ESE subvertical faults. Alma orebody belongs to the baryte-galena subtype of mineralized veins.

An adit (400 m) was opened as a tourist mine in 2017.
A museum (exhibits on mining and other things) can be visited in Litija.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References