As there is no mining or oil and gas extraction in Switzerland, people often have the impression that Switzerland is poor in mineral resources. However, a look at history and geology shows that until a few decades ago, mineral resources were intensively searched for and often mined. However, this was rarely the case on a large industrial scale. Such mining was often unprofitable. Nevertheless, some mineral raw materials, in particular gravel, sand, clay, marl, limestone and various types of natural stone, are still mined in Switzerland today. In view of geopolitical tensions, climate change and the energy transition, other geological raw materials (e.g. metal ores) are increasingly coming back into focus.
With our Geoguide we document selected excursions to scenically and geologically attractive (former) extraction sites in order to inform the interested on the past and present raw material extraction in Switzerland. Our GeoGuide provides a brief overview of the mined raw material, the mining history and the local geology. In addition, the access and the route are described in such a way that these excursions can be undertaken independently.
The geoguide currently available is a prototype and only contains a few excursions. Further excursions will be added to the guide on an ongoing basis.