Rocks and quarries in Valais

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An in-depth review of the geological, technical, historical and socio-economic aspects of quarries operating in the Valais over the past three centuries.

Noting the rapid disappearance of quarrying archives in Valais, geologists and researchers Daniel A. Kissling, Michel F. Delaloye and Hans-Rudolf Pfeiffer decided to safeguard this heritage by recovering this information before it was too late, and making it accessible to the public. As a result of their work, over 570 quarries opened in the Canton of Valais over the last three centuries have been listed and documented. The results of this fascinating research are presented in the book “Roches et carrières du Valais”. This book takes a pertinent look at the evolution of stone quarrying techniques and the historical and socio-economic aspects of quarrying in the Valais, while evoking their geological context.

The green conglomerates of La Plane, Commune de Salvan.
Detrital sedimentary rock formed around 290 million years ago. The La Plane quarry was opened in the 1970s, but old ornamental pieces show that the conglomerate was quarried long before that. Also known as “Glacier Green”, the stone was used in the construction of many buildings in Switzerland and Germany. Photo: Daniel A. Kissling

This book is the fruit of over 5 years of compilation work. The three researchers made extensive use of numerous municipal, cantonal and federal archives(Swiss Geotechnical Commission, National Geological Survey) to extract information on quarrying in the Valais and to reconstruct the history of quarrying. These data were supplemented by careful field observations carried out by the three geologists, with the aim of validating the location and geology of each quarry listed in the archives. Information on the socio-economic activity of the quarries was often supplemented by local press archives.

The Valais subsoil has been widely exploited for the diversity of its mineral resources for over three centuries. Until the middle of the 20th century, mining was omnipresent in Valais and still left its mark on the Canton’s landscape. Strengthened by the industrial revolution and the arrival of the railroads, stone mining suffered a sharp decline in activity in the second half of the 20th century, with the advent of concrete, industrial bricks and non-ferrous metals. In this rapidly changing context, increased imports of materials from abroad led to the decline of local quarries. Today, only a dozen quarries are still active in Valais, compared with around fifty at the beginning of the 20th century.

Prasinite de Martémo – Evolène stone, Commune d’Évolène.
Green in color and rich in calcite veins, prasinite is a metamorphic rock of volcanic origin. A small artisanal quarry, the Martémo quarry became a productive commercial operation in 1961. Evolène stone is recognized as one of the finest ornamental stones in the Valais. Photo: Michel F. Delaloye

The Valais region is renowned for being “rich in poor mines”: rich in the variety of rocks it offers, and poor in precious deposits. The variety of rocks that are, or have been, mined includes limestone from Saint-Léonard, marble from Saillon, granite from Monthey-Collombey, slate from Dorénaz, quartzite from St-Nicolas, soapstone from Breiterbach and green conglomerate from Salvan. This diversity has not only contributed to the development of the Canton of Valais, but has also served to enhance its reputation, both in Switzerland and abroad, as a producer of mineral raw materials for construction and decoration.

The book “Roches et carrières du Valais”, which reviews the history of Valais quarries and their geology, can already be considered a reference publication for both specialists and laymen. By publishing this valuable information on quarries, the authors are helping to perpetuate this aspect of Valais’ natural and socio-cultural heritage, which is relatively undocumented and in danger of being forgotten. They give visibility to these Valais quarries, which are gradually disappearing where nature reclaims its rights.

CREALP provided technical support for the computerized management of the quarry inventory and the production of cartographic documents.

The soapstone of sous Aiguilles de La Lé, Commune of Grimentz-Moiry.
Whitish due to its talc content, soapstone is a metamorphic rock derived from the oceanic crust of alpine Thetis. Probably already active in the 18th century, this large quarry has now been abandoned. The soapstone from the Aiguilles de la Lé quarry was used to make numerous furnaces. Photo: Daniel A. Kissling

Information

Project manager:

PASCAL ORNSTEIN

PASCAL ORNSTEIN
Responsable de filière Expert en hydrogéo-informatique


Further information

Kissling D. A., Delaloye M., Pfeifer H-R. (2016). Valais rocks and quarries.