Amateur experts in mineralogy

Ore deposits of the Betic Cordillera

Amateur experts support the Bavarian State Collection for Mineralogy (SNSB-MSM) in the investigation of deep hydrothermal mineral formations in polymetallic ore deposits of the Betic Cordillera in southern Spain. Their activities include sampling in the oxidation zone of polymetallic deposits (gold, silver, lead, antimony, zinc, arsenic) as well as the investigation of deep hydrothermal mineral formations and the study of the formation conditions.

The investigation and redescription of previously unknown minerals and thermodynamic calculations as well as the modeling of paragenesis formation are also partly carried out by these highly specialized citizen scientists.

A total of five amateur experts work for the project – two of them in Germany, three in Spain. Their knowledge in this specialized field far exceeds that of an average graduate mineralogist. Two of them are also co-authors of some scientific publications.