Specksteinstollen

Een mijn op de “Gohrisch Berge” werd voor het eerst genoemd in 1583. De doorgang is waarschijnlijk ooit aangelegd voor het zoeken naar kolen. Tegenwoordig is het interieur een thuis voor vleermuizen en de ruimte ervoor is een populaire rustplaats als je op weg bent naar de Gohrischstein of Papststein.

De tunnel is nu een vleermuisverblijf en is daarom gesloten.

Soapstone tunnels on the GohrischAt the eastern foot of the Gohrisch (440 meters) is the small mining plant of the soapstone tunnels, which in the past as White Hole (1835), Soapstone Cave (1902) and Steinmarkstollen (1930) was designated. The objective of this mining experiment is not completely clear to this day. In the immediate vicinity of the tunnel, however, there is a small Tertiary attributable to the basalt passage (Schlotdurchmesser up to 30 meters) in the sandstone, the basalt occurrence is called Leuzitbasanit. During the breakthrough of the basaltic melt, a strong melting of the quartz grains took place in the immediately adjacent sandstone. Upon cooling, a hardening of the sandstone, which also experienced by shrinking operations, a columnar arrangement. This "fragrated" column sandstone is protected as a surface natural monument. The basalt itself was recovered in a small meanwhile abandoned quarry.In the immediate border area of ​​sandstone and basalt there is a layer of brown iron and a layer of decomposed basalt, which is called "soapstone" and gave the gallery its name. This "soapstone" is unlocked at the end of the tunnel in the form of a 20-centimeter-wide aisle. It consists of a very fine yellowish-white to reddish-gray clay-like material, which is crossed by brown iron oxide and Eisenhydroxidadern. The basic mass of the passage is kaolinite. Another conversion product of the basalt is a "basal replacement", which completely fills a side passage of the tunnel in the immediate contact area with the basalt. This plastic and dark brown to ocher-colored mass is to be referred to as the main mineral balance as bentonite. In addition, over almost the entire length of the projectile at about half the profile height, a very fine and unconsolidated horizon of white quartz sand appears. These sand nests were probably recovered as scouring sand in cavities up to 1 meter deep.Today's interpretations assume that the iron ores found in the contact area of ​​basalt and sandstone were the target of mining in the soapstone tunnel. The bacon entrance was probably discovered and mined only as a by-product of mining activities. Source: bergbaufreunde-sachsen.de/gohrischspecksteinstollen.html