Calamine brass Calamine brass Calamine brass is brass produced by a particular alloying technique using the zinc ore calamine directly, rather than first refining it to metallic zinc. Direct zinc smelting appears to have been unknown in Europe until the mid-18th century, even though the alloyed calamine brass was in use for centuries, and metallic zinc was produced directly via reducing-atmosphere smelting in India and China from the 12th century CE onwards. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and, when it was first developed, methods for producing metallic zinc were unknown. Metallurgists wishing to produce brass thus used calamine (actually
Schlangenberg Nature Reserve the surface where erosion removed large amounts. About 200 million years ago aqueous metal solutions filled the cavernous rocks. Primary ores were created mostly consisting of Sphalerite, Marcasite and Galena. The process continued and the ore close to the surface decomposed due to the influence of carbon dioxide and water. In this process as a secondary ore calamine ZnCO which is known as calamine developed. Presumably the Celts had been the first digging for the calamine in the region. Ancient Celtic and Roman coins dated between 100 BC and 92/93 AD as well as remains of a Roman settlement proved