Krunkelbach Pit

The Krunkelbach Pit (German: Grube Krunkelbach), also known as the Hans Paul Pit (Grube Hans Paul),[1] was a mine established to investigate a uranium deposit in the High Black Forest near the municipality of Menzenschwand, today part of St. Blasien in the county of Waldshut in the south German state of Baden-Württemberg. Located on the edge of the nature reserve of Feldberg, operation of the mine was abandoned between 1961 and 1991 due to protests from local residents, conservationists and environmentalists as well as the anti-nuclear movement. In the 1970s, plans to use water from the pit that contained radon in order to build an exclusive health spa around Menzenschwand, were cancelled. Since 2005, water from the uranium ore deposit has been used to run a radon bath in Menzenschwand.

Grube Krunkelbach
Urano-tungstite from the type locality of Grube Krunkelbach (image width: 3 mm)
Location
LocationMenzenschwand
Production
ProductsPechblende
History
Opened1961
ActiveGrube Krunkelbach
Hans Paul Pit (Grube Hans Paul)
Closed1991
Owner
CompanyGewerkschaft Brunhilde

Mineral diversity is very high: >95 minerals was found here. It is a type locality of Arsenuranospathite, Chadwickite, Metakahlerite, Metakirchheimerite, Metauranospinite Pharmacolite[2].


References
  1. Named after the Hans Paul, who owned the company of Gewerkschaft Brunhilde for many years. See Simon, Streit, p. 168.
  2. "Mindat.org".

Literature
  • Armin Simon: Der Streit um das Schwarzwald-Uran. Die Auseinandersetzung um den Uranbergbau in Menzenschwand im Südschwarzwald 1960–1991. (=Alltag & Provinz, Vol. 11) publ. Arbeitskreis Regionalgeschichte Freiburg e.V. Donzelli-Kluckert Verlag, Bremgarten, 2003, ISBN 3-933284-11-2.
  • Helge Steen: Geschichte des modernen Bergbaus im Schwarzwald. Books on Demand, Norderstedt, 2004, ISBN 3-8334-1653-X.
  • Gregor Markl, Stephan Wolfsried: Das Uran von Menzenschwand. Geschichte · Lagerstätte · Mineralien. Christian Weise, Munich, 2011, ISBN 978-3-921656-77-8.

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