Dragone Valley mines, Cinghi ophiolites (incl. Cinghio del Corvo), Palagano, Modena Province, Emilia-Romagna, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Dragone Valley mines	Group of Mines
Cinghi ophiolites (incl. Cinghio del Corvo)	Group of Outcrops
Palagano	Commune
Modena Province	Province
Emilia-Romagna	Region
Italy	Country

Ancient mines (Fe-Cu-Zn sulphides) located in ophiolitic rocks at two main sites: the area delimited by the summit of Poggio Bianco Dragone, the Dragone stream bed, and Fosso delle Carpinete (8 mines); the north slope of Cinghio del Corvo (4 mines).

The Toggiano mine (see coordinates), the most accesible and known of these mines, consists of an adit that at 24 m from its mouth divides into two branches of 2 an 8 m, respectively. In this mine, according to Malagoli (1884 and 1885), very limpid crystals of datolite were found. Another important mine in the Poggio Bianco Dragone area is the so-called Labirintica mine (coordinates 44.30554699252869 N, 10.61964198946953 E).

The sulphide mineralisation consists of a reticulate stockwork of quartz-calcite-chlorite-sulphide veins emplaced in pillow basalt and ophiolitic breccia. Major sulphide minerals are pyrite (± accessory pyrrhotite), along with variable amounts of chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena. The veins vary in thickness from 10 to 30 cm, but giant veins of 0.5 to 1.5 m have also been observed locally. The pillow basalt shows progressively increasing spilitic alteration from the outside towards the core of the stockwork pipe, with the appearance of disseminated pyrite (Garuti et al., 2011; Kiss et al., 2015). Individual veins cutting across pillow basalt may have weakly deformed, sharp contacts with the country rock, or display disrupted irregular boundaries generating an anastomosing texture in which centimetre to decimetre sized fragments of strongly spilitised basalt are engulfed. Veins cutting across the ophiolitic breccia have irregular, diffuse boundaries derived from permeability-controlled infiltration of fluids into the country rock. Here, the mineral corrensite has been identified as a major component of the clayey matrix of the breccia. The ophiolitic sandstone is usually barren, or weakly mineralised with infiltration of minute calcite-epidote-sulphide fissure filling and impregnation. Epigenetic veins containing abundant datolite have also been described (Zaccarini et al., 2008; Garuti et al., 2011; Kiss et al., 2015).

Relevant mining sites, prospects and outcrops predominate in the Poggio Bianco Dragone ophiolite block. The veins form a sub-vertical pipe extending between 600 m, at the lower level of the Due Livelli mine, up to the elevation of about 750 m, above the Labirintica mine. Between these two localities, mineralised veins had been intercepted by mining works at the altitudes of 654 m (Lumaca prospect), 663 m (Allagata mine), and 673 m (Dolicopoda-Pipistrello prospects). Furthermore, a single vein up to 1 m thick (Filone 101 in Garuti et al., 2011) is exposed between Lumaca prospect and Allagata mine. In the Cinghio del Corvo ophiolite block, a few veins crop out in small mining prospects (trenches and galleries) close to the Lame locality, northeast of the Cinghio del Corvo peak (1079 m). Other previously unknown sulphide occurrences have been recently brought to light by natural erosion, or dug out during quarrying work for basaltic aggregate at Cinghio del Corvo quarry (874 m). In both the northern and southern blocks, the stockwork mineralisation disappears upwards, apparently not tectonically interrupted, but topped by new pillow lava and basalt breccia debris flows (Garuti et al., 2011; Kiss et al., 2015).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References