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| Map of Uruguay |
Until 1997 gold was not mined in Uruguay
although the potential for finding it existed and a gold mine named El Arenal in
Rivera where a $30 million investment created a mine that was expected to
last for six years. This start-off
created a sustained growth in the mining industry that is still ongoing.
Although Uruguay
has long been noted for its exploitation of non-metallic industrial minerals it
has only been within the past few years that metallic minerals have been exploited. That coupled with significant foreign
investment has brought about a rise in production. The processing of granite is one of the
benefactors of this as well as the production of gemstones especially large amethyst lined geodes
some as large as houses and other metallic minerals.
Before the continents of Africa and South
America split apart millions of years ago Uruguay
was joined to Namibia
in Africa making it entirely that both gold and diamonds
could be found in the country.
Although there are no volcanoes today in Uruguay
there is plenty of evidence of past volcanoes and volcanism. The amethysts are associated with vast flows
of basalt that heralded the splitting of the continent of Gondwanaland when the Atlantic
Ocean opened during the Triassic/Jurassic
to form today’s deposits of basalt.
Earlier volcanic activity occurred during the Precambrian. These episodes of ancient volcanism provided
the heat engines to
cause gold to be deposited in favorable places.
Although gold is known to exist in Uruguay
it still remains one of the most under-explored countries on the face of the
earth. There is known gold that has
already been contracted to a Canadian Mining Company and there are at least two
other areas containing gold that haven’t been let out on contract as of
yet. Today the country is like a
treasure chest waiting to be opened.
gold mining faded in UY about 1920's. before then there was a mini gold rush in the late 1860's thru early 1900]s.mostly ore crushing, some stream n river. mining companies were financed thru france and spain stock markets.
ReplyDeleteyou are right, uy is still essentially unexplored. there is one large mine in the north getting a 100k ounces a year.