Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
46° 20' 47'' North , 8° 14' 42'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Mindat Locality ID:
191692
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:191692:1
Name(s) in local language(s):
Züesee, Geisspfad, Binntal, Wallis (Valais), Schweiz (Suisse; Svizzera)
Outcrops of
serpentinites.
The Züesee is an oligotrophic (very little nutrients) still body of water above the Binntal in the Swiss canton of Valais.
Geography
The lake is six kilometers east of Binn at an altitude of 2421 m above sea level in a post-glacial glacial trench (glacial erosion) of the main Alpine ridge. It is the middle of a chain of lakes and is above the tree line. The banks consist mainly of coarse boulders with occurrences of
serpentinite. To the west below is the Mässersee, which, like the Züesee, drains north-west via the Mässerbach to the Binna.
The Züesee draws its water from the Geisspfadsee to the east.
Just 100 meters south of the south bank, the political border between Switzerland and Italy runs along the mountain range. This natural boundary is also formed by the Rhône-Po watershed.
Nature
The area around the lake is characterized by a sparse flora and there are no fish stocks in the water. The natural fauna offers alpine marmots, goats, goshawks such as e.g. golden eagle and some hardy snake species.
Access
The site is freely accessible all year round. From the south and east, the eponymous Geisspfad, a former smugglers' path, leads there over the Geisspfad pass.
Sure-footed hikers can also climb from the north-west from Fäld along the notched valley of the Mässerbach.
Even in July and August, the northern locations are not free of snow and ice, but the water in the flat zones warms up to a bathing-friendly 22 °C in midsummer.
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Chemical Elements
Mineral List
3 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
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Alphabetical List Tree Diagram
Entries shown in red are rocks recorded for this region.
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
List of minerals for each chemical element
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