2009 – 2015, Fluorite, Ice Cleft, Weisseck, Lungau, Salzburg, Austria

2007 The Discovery

After Walter Petzelberger and I finished working in the Summit Cleft in 2007 (A report on this find has not yet been published), we both acknowledged that we had tired of this site. In early October, while conditions still permitted, we began looking for something new. Weisseck keeps its secrets well hidden. The mountain provides few clues to help a collector decide where to begin probing and excavating. There are no fluorite veins in the rock to signal potential fruitful places to start exploring. In the end, a collector must rely on a very sharp eye, experience, and raw instinct. Early that afternoon we agreed on a spot that somehow seemed promising. After a short time, we could see a visible cavity into the rock. When we next visited this site, we dug deeper into the mountain and managed to recover a few green fluorites and some nice calcite specimens. Then, tragedy struck. A few days later Walter suddenly died of a heart attack. I decided to develop this cleft, not the least, to honor his memory. I continued working on this site, now with Hans Leitner, a local collector.

The last photo of Walter Petzelberger on the mountain (October 2007)

2008: The Approval

The Weisseck is a sensitive collecting area. Since the newly discovered site is within the 50- meter zone of a marked hiking trail, any excavation would require an application for official permission. In early summer 2008 officials inspected the site and considered the circumstances of the discovery; finally, nothing stood in the way of approval. Still, we had to wait patiently for written approval before we could “dig in”. But that first arrived in late summer. With the collecting season practically over, we agreed to hold off the start of work.

2009: Start of work on the Ice Cleft

Already during the first year we discovered the multiple adversities that awaited us. The cleft lay in a steep gully in the shady northern slope. This means that even in midsummer, the sun shines here for only a few short hours, so the snow remains well into July and even August. And given the fact that on this slope hard frosts arrive by early- or mid-September, we understood the need to work as intensely as possible while conditions permitted. We chose to assist Nature by removing the mounds of snow blocking the entrance. Hour after hour, shoveling snow; finally, after two full days and aching muscles, we gained access to the entrance.

After two tiring days of work, we finally found the cleft (15.06.2009)

We wanted to start the actual work on the cleft in mid-July and clear the cavity of rubble. But this plan didn't go as we had imagined: inside the cavity everything was still frozen. Without the help of the sun's rays or warm air able to circulate, we had no choice but to proceed with a very slow and very exhausting clearing operation. During a visit at the end of July we were able to remove only about 10 cm of the thawed rubble on the ground, after which we were greeted with the sight of yet more ice and permafrost. Exhausted and despairing, I decided enough was enough for that day, so I looked for a diversion and began examining the surrounding area. I found a narrow crack in the rock. Within a short time of chiseling, I discovered a new cleft. I closed it carefully and planned to resume work at a later date - that was the cleft described in the report: 2019, July, Fluorite, Weisseck!

It then took a few frustrating days until the next layer of rubble could be removed. The ice melted very slowly while the time passed all too quickly. It was now mid-August, and we had made minimal progress in our work on the cleft. We had yet to find a single fluorite.

The discovery site on July 29, 2009: clear ice in the back and front of the cleft hindering rapid progress

In the second half of August the ice melted a little faster and permitted us to work deeper into the front of the cleft. Finally, we found a few fluorites and calcites. That is, we had reached the level where Walter had last worked. The fluorites were translucent green with a dull surface and poor quality. Not much of a reward, but it confirmed that fluorite was present in this cavity. We could only hope the quality would improve as we dug deeper. A cold snap at the beginning of September stopped our work. It was so cold that the outside of the site froze over again. Icicles hung on the walls; cold, painful wind blew around our ears. For ten days, we dared not continue.

The discovery situation on September 7, 2009 after a break in bad weather

Afterwards, however, our spirits were raised by a period of stable good weather that enabled us to work on the site until almost mid-October. Every time we left the site, we placed a few candles in the cavity and covered this area with a tarpaulin so that the resulting heat remained in the cleft as long as possible. This method gave results allowing us faster progress. I worked inside the cleft where it comes forward. I filled a “hunt” (a cuboid canister cut open lengthways) with thawed debris. Hans then pulled the canister outside to empty it. Within pieces of thawed rubble, highly shiny fluorites with an edge length of around 2 cm continued to emerge. To avoid damaging hidden fluorite, I had to avoid chiseling into the frozen rubble. After following a green fluorite vain I eventually got three quarters of a meter deeper. This vein was about 15 cm wide and sometimes entered smaller cavities. But, those narrow cavities were filled with ice so that to recover any fluorites required considerable patience. With each visit we got a maximum of 10 cm deeper. As we proceeded we found the depression slowly spreading out to the sides, where we began recovering completely different fluorites. On the right side of the cavity (viewed from outside the cleft), highly glossy violet fluorites with an edge length of about 2 cm appeared in the front area. On the left side, the fluorite was replaced by calcite. The calcites reached a length of over 2 cm and were mostly good quality. In various areas we noted that the color of the calcites changed from transparent, white, light yellow, orange, dark gray to almost black or a dark gray-green. On some pieces, small purple fluorites of up to approx. 2 millimeters had grown.

Occasional fluorites appeared within the thawed rubble. There is still clear ice in the upper right area (October 6, 2009)

Our last ascent was on October 17th. Perhaps the most important result of the season was that we had begun learning which methods enabled progress with the ice. By mid-August we had reached the level where Walter had already worked two years ago. At this point, the cavity was 190 centimeters deep, up to 90 cm wide and 60 cm high. When we last visited it in mid-October, the cavity was 270 cm deep, up to 150 cm wide and 140 cm high. In relation to the many ascents and the great effort over almost four months, our progress in this cleft was depressingly small.

2010: Continuation of work on the Ice Cleft

During the winter months, Hans and I could reflect on our experiences and plan improvements to our techniques. For the 2010 season we managed a first tour to the Weisseck on June 9th and once again we began removing snow. We devoted two days to that task and we had to wait two weeks until the ice on the bottom and side was removed. Only then were we finally able to remove the winter tarpaulin covering the cleft. It was then that we were greeted with something horrifying: the entire cavity had filled with new, clear ice. Out with the chisels! The next several trips up the mountain were devoted to removing the ice.

Several layers of ice had formed during the last few days - this photo was taken outside the cleft

The ice and permafrost slowly retreated during the next few weeks thanks to slowly rising temperatures, rainwater, and candles. But rain and meltwater do not run off on their own, so each day began by draining the water using a thick garden hose. The limestone stored the cold over the winter and released it into the water and the surrounding area in the summer (the maximum temperature I measured in all these years was 0 degrees). As a result, new ice settled in the water area of the Ice Cleft even in August. Overnight water seep would seep into the deep area of the cavity and form a layer of ice. After each day, new melt-water ran over the existing layer of ice to form, alas, yet another layer of ice. When several days passed between our visits, we were greeted with multiple layers of new ice

Example of a bad day at the Ice Cleft:

After filling the hose with ice water almost froze my hands off, I was happy when the water finally ran down the hose. However, the joy was short-lived because there was a layer of ice several centimeters thick about 10 cm below the water. Before I realized the situation, the hose got air and the water stopped flowing. I had to remove this layer of ice by chiseling to get to the deeper layer of water. Then once again using my near-frozen hands, I had to refill the hose. When the water finally drained through the hose and I warmed my hands, the water flow became significantly less. A small piece of ice got caught in the hose and was blocking the flow. So the hose had to be cleaned again and then refilled. In the meantime, Hans had finally arrived and found me in a distinctly bad mood. The water flowed until the next piece of ice got caught. We struggled for a long time until we got to the next layer of ice, which then had again to be chiseled away. This went on until midday. Not surprisingly this seemingly never-ending task prompted more than a few outbursts of anger.

From mid-July the situation got better: new ice built up on the cavity walls, but fortunately no new layers of ice. This meant the water hose could run unhindered. This process sometimes took over two hours and during this time there was little I could do but wait. I usually arrived at the site more than an hour before Hans to begin this preparatory work. As early mornings at 2,700 meters tend to be cold, I had to keep moving when not working. These efforts to stay warm resulted in making inspection rounds of the area. These investigations provided some tantalizing hints of promising sites; these are still waiting to be explored.

At the beginning of the day the water had to be sucked out

July 7, 2010 was a very cold day on Weisseck Mountain

At the end of July we got to the point where we were able to remove rubble again. I continued my work primarily in the right area of the cavity, where the previous fall I had found drusen-shaped fluorites. In August after slow progress, we were able to recover some very nice fluorites. Some visits were still possible in September. A break in bad weather surprised us at the end of September. We had to climb up to Weisseck Mountain in poor conditions and winterize the cleft. After two seasons and almost 50 visits to this site, we stopped our work at a depth of a mere 3.2 meters. This means that in two years we had only advanced 1.2 meters into the cleft. But we had found some very nice fluorites which eased our frustration.

Climb to Weisseck to winterize the Cleft (September 30, 2010)

2011: Continuation of work – endurance required

In winter we again discussed strategy. One thing was clear: we had to try removing as much ice out of the cleft as possible to reduce the cold. So at the start of the third season, the work had become a routine: shoveling snow, ice chiseling, draining water. Many tours that don't give any profit. It was already the end of July that we could being making progress deeper into the cleft. But not a fluorite in sight. On August 17th we received a special treat. For five days extra-ordinarily large ice crystals had formed under the water. I pulled out a crystal, handed it to Hans and then quickly took a photo before this beauty dissolved into water.

Extraordinary ice crystals that grew within 5 days (August 17, 2011)

This crystal measured over 20 cm - I would love to have a crystal like this in my display cabinet!

The ice crystals were breathtaking, but after over 20 visits that year, we still had yet to make a single satisfying find, nor even come across signs of fluorite in the rubble. I was reaching my breaking point and was itching to cry out, Enough! But in mid-September, luck turned in our favor. Completely by surprise I discovered a “fluorite nest” with some very beautiful fluorites that were still frozen in the rubble. In addition, an increasing number of fluorite fragments came into view in the rearmost area. The fluorites found in the nest were only a few pieces, but they were very beautiful and saved us from another winter nursing our frustrations. We had now reached a depth of 5.5 meters. This means that after three years of work and about 75 visits we had penetrated a pitiful 3.6 meters deeper into the cavity!

Large blocks of clear ice removed from the Ice Cleft by chiseling (mid-August 2011)

This small fluorite nest, which was still in the permafrost at this point, saved our collecting season (September 28, 2011)

2012: The tide turns

We had adapted to the circumstances: We made shoveling snow easier by using pond liner that was slightly inclined downwards and from which the snow slid off effortlessly. This saved us the strenuous task of throwing snow several meters horizontally in front of the site. The ice in the entrance area took time. Finally, we found new traces of fluorite in the deepest part of the cleft. A lot of clear ice, 60 cm high, was waiting for me and my chisel. This work progressed quite well, but the frozen rubble on the ground took time to thaw. The total area within the cavity however continued to grow. Even though only 10 cm of rubble was thawed from visit to visit, we still had enough to do because the area kept getting bigger. Somehow, for once, things went more easily. The cavity now rose by about three quarters of a meter in the rear area and then again ran horizontally. The ice layer was always 40 to 80 cm thick in the ceiling. Directly under the ice there were usually larger chunks of limestone and on top of finer rubble with fluorites. As we maneuvered around, we uncovered in each area very beautiful fluorites all possessing different features. After four collecting seasons and around 100 visits, we reached a depth of 8 meters - and the cleft seemed to have no end!

Recovered high-gloss fluorites at a depth of the cleft about 6 meters

2013-2015: Continuation of work until completion in autumn 2015

After the usual annual preparatory work, which again required several visits, we made a happy discovery. When we had drained most of the water, we were finally able to crawl into deeper into the cavity: here we realized that there was no ice or water due to the crevice rising upwards. Using larger pieces of limestone and a board, I made a bridge of sorts over the water-filled depression. Half crawling over the remaining water, I managed to reach the back part of the cavity, which was completely dry. I immediately began working. On the next visits and in the years that followed, we always deliberately left a certain amount of water in the front part of the crevice. This was intended to deter any uninvited guests. We of course knew exactly how to navigate safely across the dirty water. Because the cleft was dry in the rear, we could that year, and the next two, immediately start mining fluorite. What a difference that made.

In mid-July 2013 I was already at a depth of 9 meters. A fluorite vein about 30 cm thick appeared on the ceiling. It ran diagonally to the floor in the direction of the cleft and disappeared between massive limestones. There was no more advance. The cavity had come to an end. I couldn't believe it, but I was crouching in front of massive rock. Perhaps the fluorite vein was creating a new cavity a little deeper down? I started to chisel at the fluorite vein. I opened up a smaller cavity that contained a few very beautiful fluorites, some of which also showed cuboid-shaped crystals. But behind this cavity, there was again only massive limestone. There was no more progress. Disappointed, I crouched in front of this massive wall, and I then began to digest a horrible realization. All those years of work, all that effort, and now: the end. There was no escape from this fact.

The end of the cleft? A massive vein of fluorite runs into the ground. Next to it was massive limestone

Or maybe…. I simply refused to accept what was obvious. I minutely scrutinized the cavity once again. Behind me was the tunnel-shaped cleft with massive side walls and in front of me was massive rock. In the upper right-hand part of the cleft section, I noticed some remaining ice interspersed with massive limestone. At about the height of my head, a small, crystallized piece of fluorite sticking out of the ice caught my attention. Up until now all fluorites had been embedded in the rubble on the ground; none were visible in the ice at head height.
That piece of fluorite inspired me to stick to this spot and to keep working. At first I felt maybe I erred. Once the ice was removed, all I could see was limestone without a trace of fluorite. For some inexplicable reason, maybe pure frustration, I started chiseling into the limestone that greeted me. After just a few hits, my chisel broke through the limestone and behind it, I gazed upon clear ice. Only now did I notice that a small hole existed in the limestone, just a few centimeters wide, which was just big enough for that piece of fluorite to fit through. The hole was filled with frozen clay; no different in color from the limestone. I easily enlarged the area. After two hours I had opened a hole about 80 cm in diameter. A new cavity ran steeply to the top right and was filled with compact ice. I removed the ice by chiseling. In between I had to repeatedly fill the loose ice into the “Hunt” which Hans pulled out to empty. This process also helped ensure I had sufficient space.

All the rubble and ice was removed from the cleft by hand in this way.

I slowly worked my way up. In the clear ice I could see a larger chunk of limestone. That chunk was to be my goal for the day. When I freed it from the ice, I took a closer look. It was surrounded by ice, hemispherical with a diameter of over 30 cm. On the outside of the hemisphere, I could see calcite. When I looked at the flat side of the hemisphere I could see violet fluorite through the ice. I finished the work for that day and put the piece in the hunt so Hans could pull it out. Once outside, I told Hans about the new discovery. This day had started with such a big disappointment and had now turned into a joyful anticipation of the next days.

This fluorite in the ice showed me the right path

Detached fluorites with sinter

Three days later, filled with anticipation, we were on our way back to the Ice Cleft. When we arrived, I immediately crawled into the cavity. I began where I had left off, chiseling in the ice. By now the ice-filled cavity was so large that I was able to cut a passage directly into the ice without coming into contact with the rock. After about two and a half meters I broke through the ice layer - my chisel no longer encountered any resistance. I enlarged the breakthrough so much that I could get my upper body through. Full of curiosity I crawled up to see what awaited me. My first view was a wall of limestone. But when I turned around I saw a pile of larger limestone chunks and behind it was a large cavity. I crawled back and called for Hans. I briefly explained the current situation to him and that I wanted to crawl into the cavity. Not knowing what to expect, I wanted Hans on hand, just in case. I enlarged the passage a little more and then I climbed up. Above the layer of ice, I had enough space to crouch down. The limestone chunks were now the last obstacle. I let them fall, one by one. Down below, Hans put them aside. After about half an hour I had created enough space to crawl through between the remaining chunks of limestone. I crawled through the narrow passage and disappeared.

What I saw exceeded my wildest imagination: I was in a large cavity in which I could easily stand upright and there was fluorite everywhere. First, I had to secure some large pieces of limestone so that they did not pose a danger to me or Hans. Then I tried to determine the size of the cavity. This was actually not such an easy task because I was repeatedly distracted by all the fluorites. I also had avoid damaging any of the fluorites that were lying loose on the ground. Hans kept asking me impatiently what I was doing. I briefly described my discovery to him and said I needed a bucket and a rope so that I could hand the fluorites down to him. While Hans went to fetch the equipment, I examined the cavity. It rose steeply for about 5 meters and was one and a half to three meters wide and about two meters high. I could stand upright everywhere. In the uppermost area there were three large, detached calcite specimens, each over a meter long and in between lots of crystallized fluorite. I could see many beautiful fluorites on the floor and partly on the side walls of the cavity. In the ceiling area immediately after the narrow passage where I had crawled up, there were transparent blue-green fluorite cubes with an edge length of about 5 cm. The fluorites had already detached from the ceiling and were only held in place by the ice. After I had explored everything, I crawled back to Hans and let him explore the cavity. After he returned with a satisfied grin, I crawled back. In the meantime, I had fetched newspapers and cloth bags. Only the most beautiful, detached fluorites were taken and carefully packed and placed in the cloth bags. Using the bucket and the rope, I lowered one bag after the other down to Hans. When we had enough pieces, we packed up our heavy backpacks in high spirits and prepared for the descent as it was already late afternoon.

Shortly before the descent, I remembered the fluorites hanging in the ice from the ceiling. I realized that we had to go back to the site the next day to recover these fluorites before they fell from the ceiling. My wife Maria was at a campsite by a lake in Carinthia. We had agreed that I come to her after the Weisseck tour so that we could spend the next day relaxing together at the lake. I called Maria at the summit and explained the situation. She knows her husband and his love for minerals all too well: she gave her blessing for my return to Weisseck the next day.

We were back at the site very early. When I returned to the new cavity, I reached my hands out for the fluorites. At that exact moment, before I could even touch the fluorites, the pieces broke off and fell straight into my arms. I couldn't catch everything because there were too many, but I was able to prevent most of the fluorites from falling straight to the ground and being destroyed.

Large detached and exposed calcite fluorite specimen approximately 1.5 meters long

Detached fluorite specimen at the bottom of the new cavity

There were so many fluorites in the new cavity that we were almost beside ourselves. Countless fluorites were waiting to be mined. My two sons Lukas and Paul accompanied us on the next tour. I led them into the cavity, and they were able to see this miracle with their own eyes. After a day of highlights of collecting and with heavy backpacks, we descended back into the valley.

Freshly recovered fluorite from the rearmost part of the Ice Cleft

With Lukas and Paul after visiting the new cavity

The typical work clothing: helmet with light, waterproof gloves, rain jacket and rain pants

Now, in the fifth year, our efforts were rewarded with many beautiful fluorites. We spent the rest of the 2013 season mining the fluorites.

At the beginning of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, we reached the rear areas of the Ice Cleft relatively quickly. As soon as we had overcome the barrier of water in the front area, we were able to come into the higher areas of the Ice Cleft, where there was no more water and ice. As already mentioned, the limestone stores the cold over the winter. The Ice Cleft was very wet in the rear area over the course of the year. But at the beginning of the season, the cleft clay was bone dry and not frozen. The cold had extracted the moisture from the clay and deposited it on the rock walls in the form of large, shiny ice crystals with a diameter of up to 10 cm. The entire cavity glittered in the light of our headlamps - like in a fairy tale. If I stood somewhere in this area for a little longer, the ice crystals would come off the ceiling due to my body heat and fall to the ground with a quiet, bright tinkling sound. I will never forget this bright sound in the absolute silence. Simply enchanting and incomparable!

Large ice crystals in the farthest area of the Ice Cleft (July 4, 2015)

In the 2014 season we continued recovering fluorites from this cavity. In the meantime, I was working on the fluorites that had grown on the rock. In the top left rear area of the cavity, I was able to open another relatively large cavity, which again yielded completely different fluorites. There were no signs in front of this cavity either and only luck and instinct led me to chisel in the right place to find the cavity. At the end of 2015 work on the Ice Cleft was stopped. In total we reached a depth of 27 meters in the mountain. The top area is about 8 meters higher than the entrance area. Every year we made an average of about 25 visits to the Ice Cleft. That means about 175 ascents, each with an ascent of 1000 meters. If you add to that the time for recovery from the exhaustive work, that's a lot of valuable time in one’s life!

Ice crystals in front of the Ice Cleft that were formed by the wind at about 2700 meters

The enduring team from the Ice Cleft: Hans Leitner on the left and Reinhold Bacher on the right

The adverse conditions and the ice proved to be both a blessing and a curse. The quality of the fluorites set new standards for Weisseck. Most of the fluorites from Weisseck were exposed to penetrating water. This resulted in more or less advanced water etching and the fluorites often becoming coarse-pored with matt surfaces. In the case of the Ice Cleft, the ice protected the crystals from water etching. Many pieces have an exceptionally good luster that normally is associated with finds in deep mines. In addition to yielding fluorites with good-quality surfaces, the Ice Cleft also provided an enormous variety of specimens. Fluorites in many colors and crystal forms, including cubes, octahedrons, and rhombic dodecahedrons. The range of colors range from delicate pastel tones of yellow, green, light blue, and lilac to intense dark blue, green, and bright violet. Sometimes specimens reveal sharply defined zonation and occur in combinations with calcite and/or barite. We recovered over 30 different types of fluorites. Some only as individual pieces or in small quantities. Some of them show extraordinary transparency. Last, but not least, the discovery of some specimens with spherical and kidney-shaped fluorites should be mentioned. Some of these are covered with tiny, cube-shaped second-generation fluorites.
The calcites reached a length of over 2 cm and were mostly of good quality. The color varied in the various areas where they were found; from transparent, white, light yellow, orange, dark gray to almost black or a dark gray-green. Small violet fluorites up to about 2 millimeters in size had grown on some pieces.
Barite was only found in the form of barite roses, with the largest barite rose measuring 1.7 cm in diameter. This is relatively unusual considering the average size is 0.5 cm. The color is generally a light ivory beige.
Analysis results from the scanning electron microscope show hemimorphite (colorless, glassy plates), hydrozincite (white crust) and cinnabar (small reddish tinges) in one piece. (Analysis by Tobias Schachinger)
I am sure: in relation to the size of the site and the variety of fluorites, there are few if any comparable sites anywhere that provide such variety!

This fluorite is the best example of how quickly the fluorites have changed in certain areas of the Ice Cleft: the underlying fluorite layer shows highly lustrous violet fluorites with an edge length of up to 1.5 cm. Directly above this is a layer of highly lustrous blue-green fluorites with an edge length of up to 2 cm, 8 x 7 x 6.5 cm.

The only yellow fluorite from Weisseck that I know of. This piece comes from about 5 meters deep in the Ice Cleft. It shows an interesting crystal structure with yellow zoning on the edges and high-gloss surfaces, found in August 2012, 5 x 3.5 x 3.3 cm

A unique fluorite from a small pocket of a green fluorite vein on the ground. The transparent elongated "cube" up to 8 cm shows high gloss surfaces with a multi stepped edge structure. A dark phantom on each elongated side is another special feature. The piece was found in 2009 about 2 meters from the entrance, 10.3 x 9.5 x 4.7 cm

This unusual fluorite shows a cube surface with an infinite step-like edge growth toward the side. The surfaces of the crystals are highly gloss, covered with a 1 mm thick yellowish to colorless enamel-like fluorite layer. With backlight light, this fluorite shows unusual pastel colors in blue, green and violet, 13.5 x 10 x 4.8 cm

High-gloss violet fluorite cubes in a geode, with intense, clearly defined zoning on the edges. The outside of the geode is also crystallized with high-gloss dark gray fluorites. The piece was found in August 2010 about 3 meters deep from the entrance in the right-hand floor area. Directly below were purple-gray spherical and kidney-shaped fluorites found, 12.5 x 6.5 x 6 cm

A great rarity from Weisseck: countless spherical and kidney-shaped fluorites with a diameter of up to 3.5 cm are partially covered with a small second generation of cube-shaped fluorites. A multi-stepped fluorite cube with a diameter of about 7 cm dominates the middle of the piece. The piece was found in September 2010 about 3 meters deep from the entrance in the right-hand floor area, 19.8 x 14 x 9 cm

This piece comes from a depth of about 2 meters from the entrance on the bottom left. It comes from the small indentation in September 2011 that saved our collecting season after more than 20 unsuccessful tours. The piece shows transparent, high-gloss cyan to greenish fluorites with an edge length of up to 5 cm. The/ edges are multi-stepped with a very beautiful parquet structure. A second generation of smaller, high-gloss light violet fluorites has grown in the upper area. 24 x 21 x 9 cm

This fluorite shows a high gloss surface with a slight square structure. The outer layer is clear, but inside several purple zones can be seen along the edges. The back is also crystallized with bright purple fluorite. The piece comes from the small nest in September 2011 that saved our collecting season after over 20 unsuccessful tours, 7.5 x 4.7 x 3.7 cm

A unique piece from the Ice Cleft, found in August 2012 about 7 meters from the entrance. The fluorite shows a very transparent ice blue color. The surfaces are highly glossy with an intense multiple square structure. On one side the fluorite shows a dark phantom-like zoning along the edges, 7 x 6 x 3.5 cm

Fluorite with a small cube surface with an infinitely stepped edge growth on the side. This results in the shape of an octahedron with a cube surface. The edges also show a skeletal-like reinforced growth with a thin whitish fluorite layer, which gives the piece a frosty character. The surfaces are matt and shiny in places - the transparency is excellent! This piece was found 9 meters from the entrance, in the ceiling area. This is exactly the area where it briefly looked in 2013 as if the Ice Cleft had ended, 12.8 x 8.3 x 6.5 cm

This type of fluorite was found in three areas of the Ice Cleft. There were a maximum of three pieces in each area. The fluorite has a matte surface. With backlight, the fluorite shows an impressive purple color with various shades. This piece was recovered in August 2013 about 11 meters from the entrance, 5 x 4 x 2.5 cm

This piece comes from the large rear cavity in the Ice Cleft. It shows an intense blue translucent color. The crystal surfaces are slightly curved inwards, highly glossy and show an intense square structure. I was just able to catch this piece with my arms as it broke away from the ice on the ceiling and fell about 2 meters towards the ground, 23 x 13 x 6.5 cm

One of the most beautiful specimens from the Ice Cleft: High-gloss dark violet fluorite with an edge length of up to 2.5 cm. The crystal surfaces are high-gloss, slightly curved inwards with a parquet-like structure. Due to the concave cube shape and the high gloss, the fluorite always sparkles in a different place when it is moved. This piece comes from the upper area of the large rear cavity in the Ice Cleft. The piece was found in July 2014 - about 22 meters from the entrance, 32 x 19.5 x 10 cm

With an edge length of about 5.5 cm, it is one of the largest fluorite cubes from the Ice Cleft. The cubes show a fantastic transparent green color in the outer area and a blue color in the center. The surfaces are shiny with an intense square structure. What makes this piece special are the slightly inward-curved cube surfaces. This piece was found about 25 meters from the entrance to the Ice Cleft in August 2014, 14 x 9.5 x 9 cm

Fluorite with high-gloss surfaces that have a multiple square structure. The edges are razor-sharp and show an impressive violet and light zoning when backlit. This piece comes from the deepest area of the ice crevice (approx. 26 meters from the entrance) and was found in September 2015, 5 x 4 x 3.5 cm

One of the most beautiful specimens from the Ice Cleft: highly lustrous transparent intense cyan blue fluorite with an edge length of up to 2.9 cm. Some fluorites show a lighter zoning on the edges. Some crystals change color to a light beige in places or are covered with a second generation of highly lustrous beige fluorite. The piece was found in August 2014 in the floor area of the large rear cavity in the ice crevice, about 18 meters from the entrance, 15 x 12 x 6.5 cm

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