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Mineral resources

Mineral resources form the basis for practically all everyday objects – from toothpaste to mobile phones, from paper to PC. Since the Second World War, mankind has consumed more resources than in the entire period before that.

Freshly quarried sandstone blocks
Freshly quarried sandstone blocks waiting to be processed further
© swisstopo

Here you will find basic information on ores and industrial minerals, on topics such as mining or resource monitoring.

Ores

Since the Bronze Age, the mining and extraction of naturally occurring ores are of great importance for mankind. In Switzerland however, the mining of ores nowadays can no longer be operated...

Rocks & soils

The rocks and soils are an important commodity group for Switzerland. This includes raw materials for the brick-and-tile industry, lime and marl for the binder material industry, gravels and sands as...

Bergregal

The Bergregal (principles of mining law) regulates the property rights for mineral resources. In Switzerland, it is mostly determined by the cantons. Energy and ore resources as well as salt are...

Industrial minerals

Industrial minerals are minerals or rocks that are important for technical processes and applications in industry. Unlike ores, which are converted into metals by smelting, industrial minerals can be...

Mines & history of mining

In Switzerland, ores and other mineral resources were already being extracted by mining methods 3500 years ago. There has been no mining activity in this country since 1967 – there is however an...


Mineral Resources