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"Great is the power of memory that dwells in places." (from Cicero)

Chabazite

This perfectly formed chabazite crystal on volcanic rock comes from Planruf,  discovery site at Pufler Loch southwest of the hamlet of Pufels (Bula in Ladin). The mineral, named Puflerit after the hamlet, is a variety of stilbite with whitish-yellow, drop-like shapes, smooth and shiny on the outside, with a radiating pattern on the inside.

Analcime and apophyllite

The analcime crystals on the Seiser Alm plateau found in the pillow lavas are world famous. This layer of the Frommer Lahn, which descends from the Seiser Alm plateau towards Seis, boasts an enormous, pink and white analcime crystal set in apophyllite. The 66-cm-wide layer, found in a huge hollow in 1966, was too heavy to be carried in a rucksack, which explains why the collector, Alfons Moroder, needed help retrieving it.

Agate

This smooth, polished geode from Dialer is intact, filled with brightly coloured concentric agate rings, and is one of the finest specimens of its kind. Geodes occur only in pillow lavas, such as that formed 237-235 millions of years ago on the Seiser Alm plateau due to undersea volcanic eruptions. Geodes may often be recovered by hand, while in other cases they require a pickaxe and crowbar.

Calcite on Dolomite

The calcite crystals in this specimen from Molignon are mounted on glittering Dolomite crystals. Calcite on Dolomite is often formed during the solidification of sediment, particularly through the dolomitisation of limestone sediment. Magnesium-rich solutions replace the calcium in calcium carbonate with magnesium, giving rise to Dolomite rock. This type of rock has a smaller volume than limestone, leading to the formation of irregularly shaped cavities lined with Dolomite and calcite crystals. A famous example is the Molignonhöhle with calcite crystals of up to 50 cm in length.

Geode with smoky quartz, calcite and geothite

This two-part, 23-cm-high geode with smoky quartz, calcite and geothite was found in the partially rocky mountain pastures at Gardejea - Curasòa and is an impressive example of the minerals of volcanic origin found on the Seiser Alm plateau. This splendid geode dates back to a time between 237 and 235 million years ago, when lava streams full of bubbles coming from the earth's interior collected on sea beds.

Analcime on calcite

This perfectly formed single analcime crystal from Jenderbach beneath Zemmerloch is a rare find. Datolite crystals were also found here before 1900, but the site is depleted due to the rush of collectors. The area on the Seiser Alm between Jenderbach and Tschapitbach in the west has revealed well-known mineral discovery sites in volcanic rock from the Triassic era (Ladinum)