THE QUARRY
THE WHITE WATER QUARRY
At 1,567 metres, at the beginning of the orographic right side of the Laas (Lasa) Valley, lies the White Water Quarry (Weißwasserbruch) in the Stelvio National Park (Stilfserjoch National Park). It takes its name from the nearby small waterfall called "Weißwasser", the water of which is enriched by the minerals and substances contained in the marble.
As early as 1883, the Laas based (Lasa) stonemason Josef Lechner took over the quarry on lease from the municipality of Laas (Lasa) and worked it by opencast mining. In 1896, 13 years later, he drove a tunnel into the Jennwand and from then on the "white gold", as Lasa marble (Laaser Marmor) is also known, was mined underground. Today, an extensive network of tunnels bears witness to the lively mining activity over the last 140 years. It extends 400 metres deep into the mountain, with a total tunnel network length of approx. 4 kilometres, a width of 20 metres and a height of up to 40 metres. The marble deposit in the Jennwand massif is estimated at around 30 million cubic metres. This makes it one of the largest marble deposits in the world.
MATERIAL PROPERTIES
Lasa marble is generally very compact and has a high crystallinity. The proportion of calcium carbonate (CaCo3) is 96.4 - 98.6% and the density is 2,710 kg per cubic metre.
Lasa marble is impermeable to water and resistant to frost and de-icing salt due to the good and even interlocking of the crystals, which means it can be used indoors and outdoors.
Lasa marble occurs in both pure white and banded varieties. These mineral inclusions can be golden-yellow, brownish (Vena d'Oro due to phlogopite or biotite), greenish (Vena Verde due to chlorite) or grey, bluish (Venato Cevedale due to tourmaline and graphite). Dolomitised marble is characterised by a beige-brown-yellow colour and is chemically a calcium-magnesium carbonate (CaMg(CO3)2).