Mota Farun, Casaccia, Upper Val Bregaglia, Bregaglia, Maloja Region, Grisons, Switzerlandi

Regional Level Types
Mota Farun	Slag Locality
Casaccia	Village
Upper Val Bregaglia	Valley
Bregaglia	Municipality
Maloja Region	Region
Grisons	Canton
Switzerland	Country

Mota Farun is a slag locality located on a steep slope at about 1600 m a.s.l., to the west of Casaccia, now covered largely by Quaternary debris and forests.

Slags at the Mota Farun locality occur in various sizes, the largest about 20 cm. They have mainly been found in places of recent erosion (e.g., in connection with lumbering) or excavations (for an adjacent electric power line). Non-magnetic slag samples are largely composed of euhedral and dendritic iron-rich olivine in a glassy matrix. Locally there are zones with globular inclusions rich in bornite and locally metallic copper. Some regions display dendritic pentlandite. Magnetic samples are mainly composed of fayalite and wüstite, with minor magnetite. The mineralogical composition indicates that slags were the product of copper smelting.

No evidence for mining activities could be identified nor could relics of smelters be found. While the origin of the ore could not be determined, it may be related to ore deposits of chalcopyrite in greenschists and serpentinites in the vicinity, such as Alp Tgavretga (to the north of Septimer Pass, Surses) and Val Perossa (Val Bregaglia).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References