The Luxembourg Weekend

Branch AGM and geology weekend in Letzebuerg (Luxembourg) 2003

(Photos by Kirsty Crocket)

Breakfast in Dudelange.

We met somewhere in Diddeléng (Dudelange) in the course of Friday afternoon. For some of us this seemed like an extension of our Field Trip to the French Jura. Not only did we meet some of the same nice people, but stratigraphically speaking we were again situated in the Jurassic. In the evening we all had dinner at a local restaurant, and soon the "new faces" became old acquaintances.

The Scout Home Belvédère, where we stayed for the nights is in the Aalenian (Dogger or Middle Jurassic), right in the middle of a former iron ore strip-mining area.

On Saturday morning we went to nearby Rumelange, where we visited the National Mining Museum. Here "minette" ore was mined for more than a century with a peak after World War II ending with a sharp decrease at the end of the 1950's. In fact the southernmost part of Luxembourg (where we stayed the weekend) is called "Minette" or the "Land of the Red Earth" after this iron ore and the red soil. Minette is an oolithic iron ore, i.e. a sedimentary aggregate of detritus and organic debris cemented together by oolithes composed of iron silicates, iron oxides and carbonates. Minette ore deposits are found in Aalenian (Dogger) and Toarcian (Lias) in the Lorraine area in Luxembourg, France, Belgium and Germany. The ore contains about 24-35% iron and about the same amount of calcite. Unfortunately it is often phosphorous (apatite) giving rise to treatment problems. The sediments were laid down in shallow water at the edge of the Paris basin. On the way back to Dudelange one of the cars paid a short visit to a coral reef (Dogger).

Ready to enter the iron mine.

For those interested a large geological map ( in French, "Carte géologique schématique du G.-D. du Luxembourg") can be dowloaded free from the Service Géologique.

The AGM itself was held at the Municipal Museum of Dudelange. A slightly changed new committee was elected, and the past and the coming year were discussed.

After the AGM followed an interesting lecture by Guy Heinen on "Tektites, Witnesses of Cosmic Catastrophes" based on his book by the same name, translated from German into English by our member Patrick Helminger (See also link of the month). Many non-members from Luxembourg and Germany also attended this lecture. This pleasant day (with fine weather) ended with our AGM dinner in a local restaurant.

On Sunday morning we made our way by private cars to Luxembourg city, where we had a guided tour of the Geological Trail (Luxembourg Sandstone, Early Jurassic), guided by the curator of paleontology at the National Museum of Natural History, Alain Faber. Normally the trail begins at the Natural Museum. Instead we ended there for a cup of coffee before we parted in all directions - after another great event.

Looking for fossils?

To the AGM 2003 Organizer, Patrick Helminger, "E grousse Merci".

Ole Nielsen

P.S. Many of the Luxembourg sites mentioned are in French and/or German only.