The Kemmlitz kaolin region yields Germany’s leading kaolins for the ceramic industry. This is due to a number of specific characteristics that make this kaolin especially suitable for various types of porcelain and other fine ceramics. The original stone is volcanic, and as a result of erosion and glacial influence in the last ice age, kaolinized rhyolite can be found in depressions of various sizes. In terms of industrial excavation, this means that the raw materials are extracted from several “small” mines in Kemmlitz rather than from a contiguous strip-mining operation.