Sadisdorf, Dippoldiswalde, Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Saxony, Germanyi

Regional Level Types
Sadisdorf	Mine
Dippoldiswalde	Town
Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge	District
Saxony	State
Germany	Country

Breccia-pipe related porphyry tin mineralization within a caldera setting (Teplice-Altenberg caldera).

The deposit is related to a structurally-complicated cataclasite and sub-volcanic complex, located within Proterozoic gneisses at the intersection of a NNW-trending cataclasis zone and a NE-trending brittle fracture zone.

The centre is formed by a multiple intrusion of tin granite into a large fluid explosive breccia. The polymict cataclasite forms a large central body and also occurs along granite contacts (in the form of mantle breccia) and as a small stock-like breccia body.

It contains angular fragments and blocks of various gneisses, remobilized quartz, metagneiss greisen, and gneisses greisenized by multi-stage veinlets and veins. The formation of the cataclasite preceded the sub-volcanic intrusives, but the emplacement of both was connected with multiple metasomatic processes. As a consequence, a large number of different metasomatic and mineralization types occurred in the deposit.

Mining in the area started before 1500 and continued intermittently until 1954. The deposit was first worked for tin and copper, later also for tungsten, molybdenum, and bismuth. Intensive ancient mining activities are evident from numerous dumps, pits, and subsidences ("Pingen"). The most important outcrop is the "Kupfergrübner Pinge", which was formed in the 17th/18th century by the collapse of sub-surface cavities in the area of a high-grade ore body.

The most recent resource estimate is that the deposit contains 25 million tons (Mt) of ore at an average grade of 0.45% Li2O and 3.36 Mt of ore at an average grade of 0.44% Sn. The bulk of the magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization of the Sadisdorf deposit occurs in two distinct sites identified as Kupfergrube and Zinnklüfte. These two sites are separated by a small valley striking north-northeast to south-southwest. Mineralization around Kupfergrube is centered on the surface exposure of the composite Sadisdorf intrusion described above. The Zinnklüfte area, on the other hand, is marked by the occurrence of discrete, SW-NE–trending vein/stockwork zones that can extend up to 800 m horizontally along strike. Three stages of alteration were recognized within the G4 granite: (1) sodic-potassic alteration (feldspathization), (2) greisen alteration, and (3) sericite-fluorite alteration.

Note: The "Kupfergrübner Stollen" (adit) is on private property and access is strictly prohibited (Lapis 7-8/2009, p. 8; see also http://www.unbekannter-bergbau.de/inhalte/spot_12_2014_sadisdorf2.htm)

Geochronology

Mineralization age: Carboniferous : 326.4 Ma to 315 Ma

Important note: This table is based only on rock and mineral ages recorded on mindat.org for this locality and is not necessarily a complete representation of the geochronology, but does give an indication of possible mineralization events relevant to this locality. As more age information is added this table may expand in the future. A break in the table simply indicates a lack of data entered here, not necessarily a break in the geologic sequence. Grey background entries are from different, related, localities.

Geologic Time				Rocks, Minerals and Events
Phanerozoic
	Paleozoic
		Carboniferous
			Pennsylvanian	ⓘ Molybdenite (youngest age) 315 Ma
			Mississippian	ⓘ Molybdenite (oldest age) 326.4 Ma

Localities in this Region

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References