Ores or mineralisations are raw materials from which metals can be obtained. In spite of the fact that about 2000 raw material and ore deposits are known in Switzerland, today, this raw material group is no longer of any economic interest.
Slag heaps and bronze objects bear witness to the earliest mining and smelting activities in the Bronze Age. Mines have been located in the cantons of Grisons and Wallis from the 14th and 15th centuries. In many areas, the 16th, 17th and the first half of the 19th centuries represented the high point of the development of the underground mining industry. During both world wars, many areas were still intensely mined. The last two iron ore mines were closed in the 1960's (Gonzen 1966 and Herznach 1967). Geology plays an important role in the use of ore deposits in that it characterises the location and extension of the raw material deposit and has often led to deposits with highly complex formations. On the other hand, economic and political changes can very rapidly modify the value of such Earth's treasures.

Iron and Manganese
Theoretically over 25 million tons of iron ore reserves have been located in Switzerland. Today, mining activities are no longer carried out due to economical aspects and environmental limits. Four principal types of iron deposits can be defined:

• high quality Hematite ore (e.g. Gonzen near Sargans),
• silty iron Oolites of the Dogger (e.g. Herznach, Chamoson),
• Iron ore nodules in the Jura regions and
• Magnetite deposits (e.g. Mont Chemin).

In Gonzen, between 1921 and mine closure in 1966, some 2.8 million tons of iron and manganese ore was mined: in Herznach, between 1937 and 1967, about 1.6 million tons of iron ore. In the basin of Delsberg over 30,000 tons of iron ore nodules per year werer mined in the 19th century. In southern parts of Schaffhausen, between 1810 and 1850, 80,000 tons of iron ore nodules were mined.
In the Grisons, iron extraction was carried out in the Ferrera Valley between 1825 and 1845 and in the canton of Bern the Erzegg-Planplatte mine was used. Manganese ore was found in the Gonzen deposit as well as in Oberhalbstein.

Lead-Zink (partially with silver)
Lead-zink mineralisations (galena, spalerite) are almost exclusively limited to the Alps in Switzerland. Many of the deposits, gang-shaped and imbedded in neighbouring rocks, are Palaeozoic. Important deposits are found in the canton of Wallis (e.g. Val d'Hérens, Goppenstein) as well as near Trachsellauenen, in Bristenstock, in the Grisons (Alp Nadels, Taspin, Davos, S-Charl) and Ticino (Malcantone, Val Cadlimo).

Copper (partially with bismuth and arsenic)
Copper ores, which are used for the production of copper, are seldom encountered in Switzerland. Deposits in the Val d'Anniviers near Grimentz as well as in Bristenstock, in Vorderrheintal (Puntaiglas, Obersaxen) and in Avers (Ursera) as well as in Mürtschenalp (SG) are known.

Nickel-Chrome (partially cobalt, platinum)
Nickel-cobalt ores were principally found in the canton of Wallis (Val d'Anniviers and Turtmanntal) in the 18th and 19th centuries (Gruben Grand Praz and Gollyre and Kaltenberg).

Antimony
In Switzerland, antimonite is seldom encountered and has no practical use.

Molybdenum and Wolfram
Molybdenum mineralisations (Molybdenite) are principally found in the Aar Massif. A large deposit which has been known about for some time but never mined is on the Alpjahorn in upper Baltschiedertal (VS). Wolfram deposits (generally in the form of the mineral scheelite) are small and economically uninteresting and located in the Aar and Gotthard Massifs.

Gold
Small flecks of gold may be found in many streams and rivers in Switzerland, especially in the Napf region, in the north-eastern Swiss Alpine foreland, in the Allondon outlet near Geneva, in the Vorderrhein near Disentis as well as in some watercourses in the canton of Ticino.
In addition to the well-known placer gold deposit near Disentis, in the 1940's massive gold deposits near Sedrun and in the Lukmanier shaft were rediscovered. Another notable massive gold deposit is the «Golden Sun» deposit in the Calanda region (canton Grisons) which has been known since the Middle Ages. In the Simplon region near Gondo there was once intense mining activity, as was in Malcantone (TI), where more than 20 mineralisation zones are known.

Uranium
In the years between 1956 and 1984, uranium prospecting was carried out in the Alps. Thus, several economically unimportant and previously unknown uranium mineralisations (especially uraninite) were discovered or newly investigated. They are mostly located in a narrow zone found in the vicinity of Martigny (VS) along the Rhone Valley and the Vorderrheintal until near Ilanz (GR) and from there to the north in the upper Weisstannental and in the Murgtal (SG).