Bric Gettina Mine, Rialto, Savona Province, Liguria, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Bric Gettina Mine	Mine (Abandoned)
Rialto	Commune
Savona Province	Province
Liguria	Region
Italy	Country

Bric Gettina mine, also known as “Miniera del Purin”, is an argentiferous galena occurrence located on the eastern slope of Bric Gettina.
The presence in the surrounding area of vertical stone alignments (menhirs) and a lithic structure reminiscent of a dolmen—features characteristic of the megalithic culture of the Finalese—suggests that this site may have been known, at least theoretically, to protohistoric Celto-Ligurian populations. This hypothesis is consistent with archaeological evidence indicating that lead–silver metallurgy was already practiced in Liguria during the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1600–1350 BC).
The first documented evidence of mining activity dates to 1453 and is reported in “Bellum Finariense” by Giovanni Mario Filelfo, the author writes about specialized workers, referred to as “argentari” (literally “silver miners”), operating in the mountains north of Finale Ligure.
Mining activity progressively declined toward the end of the 18th century.
During the early 19th century, in the Napoleonic period, renewed interest in the reported silver mineralization led to inspections commissioned by the Prefect of the Department of Montenotte, Gilbert Joseph Gaspard, Count de Chabrol de Volvic. These surveys concluded that the mine no longer represented a significant economic resource, as it had been almost entirely exhausted by earlier exploitation.
The limited economic potential of the mineralization was later reiterated in the “Rivista del Servizio Minerario del Regno” (1885), which emphasized both the lack of continuity of the mineralized veinlets and the high hardness of the host rock as major constraints on further exploration.
Around 1900, a final attempt at prospecting was undertaken by the English industrialist Radecliffe Ward, who obtained exploration permits for lead, zinc, copper, and other metals over a broad area including Bric Gettina; this effort proved unsuccessful.
Historical documentation indicates the presence of five adits, which are likely the only ones ever excavated.
These galleries are still visible and accessible today. Their horizontal development is generally limited (usually less than 10 m), although they are relatively wide; only one adit penetrates the porphyroid rock for approximately 65 m and displays two poorly developed lateral branches.
Mining activity was essentially superficial, with successive phases mainly involving the cleaning, widening, and reworking of pre-existing tunnels rather than deeper excavation. Evidence of on-site processing is provided by a waste-rock dump (locally called “ravaneto”) located near the mine entrances.
The ore richest in argentiferous galena was transported downslope, where it was crushed using a water-powered hammer mill in order to separate the ore from the gangue. The metallurgical process involved multiple stages of smelting and refining, ultimately yielding silver and tin.
Archival documents dating to the 17th and 19th centuries indicate that silver extracted from the mine was used for the production of sacred art objects. In particular, extracted silver was employed in the manufacture of liturgical items such as chalices and monstrances, preserved in the parish church of Rialto, as well as in churches at Calice Ligure and Savona and in the diocesan museums of Albenga.
In the late 1970s, the abandoned mine attracted renewed interest from the Gruppo Mineralogico Ligure (Ligurian Mineralogical Group), which initiated systematic mineralogical investigations leading to the detailed characterization of the mineral assemblage currently known.

The Bric Gettina area is characterized by volcanic rocks belonging to the Porfiroidi del Melogno Formation, facies C, of Early Permian age. This lithological unit represents the typical facies of the Melogno Porphyroids and consists predominantly of rhyolitic ignimbrites (as suggested by flattened pumice fragments and flame structures), with subordinate rhyodacitic terms. The rocks display a light to pale green groundmass, commonly exhibiting a well-developed schistosity.
The Alpine metamorphic overprint is expressed by quartz recrystallization, albitization of feldspars, and the transformation of biotite into chlorite and magnetite.
The galena mineralization is likely related to post-magmatic hydrothermal fluids associated with late Permian extensional tectonics.
Supergene alteration of galena under near-surface conditions led to the development of a diverse assemblage of secondary lead minerals.

Allanite-(Ce): Occurs as millimetric crystals with a waxy luster, included in quartz veins. It is associated with galena, adularia, clinochlore, and other sulfides.
Anatase: Very rare; present as black octahedral crystals of submillimetric size, found associated with clinochlore, quartz, and adularia.
Aurichalcite: Forms small aggregates and, more rarely, globular structures composed of submillimetric acicular crystals of pale blue color. It occurs within galena-lined geodes.
Calcite: Of minor significance; only rarely observed as very small crystals or as encrustations within quartz or galena veins.
Cerussite: The most abundant and aesthetically significant mineral at the locality. It occurs in a wide range of habits and colors, from white and colorless to pale pink and deep pink. Crystals very rarely exceed 1 cm in size.
Clinochlore: Present as small greenish lamellar crystals associated with quartz and adularia.
Galena: Occurs as compact metallic masses exhibiting the characteristic cubic cleavage. In very rare cases, submillimetric crystals with cuboctahedral habit have been observed in small geodes.
Graphite: Present as blackish masses.
Hemimorphite: Forms aggregates of white to colorless crystals arranged in crusts, rosettes, sprays, or spherical clusters composed of thin lamellar crystals.
Adularia: Occurs in quartz veins, commonly associated with anatase and allanite-(Ce).
Linarite: Present as deep blue submillimetric crystals, nodules, and crusts lining galena geodes.
Malachite: Occurs as small massive aggregates and, more rarely, as green acicular crystals.
Mimetite: Present as small yellow-amber crystals with hexagonal cross-section and pointed terminations.
Minium: Forms red earthy coatings on porphyroid rocks and is almost invariably associated with cerussite.
Pyrite: Occurs as small cubic or pentagonododecahedral crystals embedded in the porphyroid.
Pyromorphite: Fairly common; occurs as small yellow-green crystals exhibiting the so-called “rice-grain” habit. Crystals larger than 1 mm are rare.
Quartz: Present as small crystals, commonly associated with clinochlore and adularia, and more rarely with anatase.
Smithsonite: Occurs as opaque grey-green mammillary aggregates associated with pyromorphite, cerussite, and wulfenite.
Sphalerite: Present as small amber-colored crystals or compact masses of similar coloration.
Wulfenite: It crystallizes as thick prismatic pseudocubic crystals, as tabular crystals with chisel-like edges and as prismatic crystals with pyramidal terminations.
All habits are yellow-orange in color. The maximum observed crystal size is approximately 4 mm.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References