Geological and engineering heritage of Lungro rock salt (Calabria, Italy)

Paolo Macini¹ & Marco Pantaloni^2
1University of Bologna, Dept. of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, Via U. Terracini 28, 40131 - Bologna.
²Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via V. Brancati 48, 00144 - Roma.
Corresponding author e-mail: paolo.macini@unibo.it

Nearby the municipality of Lungro (Calabria) is the longest-running Italian rock salt mine, exploited almost continuously from antiquity until 1978. The mining activity is recorded since the Middle Ages, although archaeological studies suggest that salt production by near-surface excavation dates to the Greek and Roman civilization or even to prehistoric times. During the Middle Ages, mining methods pointed to the maximum profit, and the salt deposit, rather than being rationally mined, was exploited vertically, following the winding path of high-quality salt layers. This approach led to troubles such as rock instability, inadequate ventilation and water infiltration, that characterised the site up to its recent abandonment. Although the mine was partially renovated at the end of the 19th century, both in its structure and work organization, a steep decline began. Easy access to the underground works was never solved: still in the 1970’s, two of the eight working hours of each daily shift were spent reaching the workplace, as there were over 2000 steps to walk. Poor mining methods persisted throughout the 20th century, leading to its abandonment in 1978.

rock salt, mining history, Geoheritage, Lungro salt mine.