Torre de Moncorvo mines
{{Short description|Iron mines in Torre de Moncorvo, Portugal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
The iron mines of Torre de Moncorvo are located in the municipality of Torre de Moncorvo, Portugal.
History
The mines were the subject of primitive exploitation from the Iron Age.{{Cite book|last=|first=|title=System of universal geography, founded on the works of Malte-Brun and Balbi|publisher=System|year=1842|isbn=|location=|pages=554–555}} to the end of the 18th century.{{Cite book|last=Custódio|first=Jorge|title=O ferro como património industrial de Moncorvo : História, mineração e indústria|publisher=Ferrominas, EP|year=1984|isbn=|location=|pages=5}}
The first experience of proto-industrial exploration took place in the 1790s and, from the 1870s on, interest in mining concessions in Moncorvo was renewed, with 35 concessions. In 1897 most of the concessions were acquired by the Syndicat Franco-Iberique Company, which began "methodical and systematic prospecting work with 1396 chemical analyses".{{Cite book|last=Bureau of Mines|title=Minerals Yearbook: Volume 3|publisher=Bureau of Mines|year=1978|isbn=|location=|pages=780–1781}}
Between 1930 and 1934, galleries were opened in Mua, and 15,279 tons of ore were extracted, according to the Minas Bulletin.{{Cite web|title=Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal|url=http://catalogo.bnportugal.pt/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=Y5926766S5892.39173&profile=bn&uri=link=3100025~!5154~!3100024~!3100022&aspect=basic_search&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!bnp&term=Boletim+de+minas&index=TITSER|access-date=25 June 2020|website=catalogo.bnportugal.pt}} The exploration and exploration work of the Companhia Mineira de Moncorvo continued until 1942. After World War II the concessions of this German company were made by the Portuguese Government and, from 1957, that Company was managed by Exploration & Bergba of the Thyssen group, assuming the designation of Minacorvo, Lda.{{Cite journal|last=Fevereiro|first=Cristiana Maria Pereira|date=2015|title=O Sinclinal de ferro de Torre de Moncorvo: um recurso mineral como catalisador de um Tempolntermitente|url=http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/}}
That year the pilot wash was built and, in 1976, Minacorvo was dissolved and its concessions were integrated into Ferrominas SARL, then Ferrominas EP, ending with the creation of EDM EP, from 1986.
Between 1951 and 1976, a total of 1,796,535 tonnes of iron ore were exported from Moncorvo.
Torre de Moncorvo iron mines were the largest employer in the region in the 1950s, employing 1,500 miners.
It is considered to be one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world.{{Cite web|last=MarketWatch|title=Rio Tinto may invest €1 billion in Portugual mines|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/rio-tinto-may-invest-1-billion-in-portugual-mines-2011-10-21|access-date=25 June 2020|website=MarketWatch|language=en-US}}
Reactivation
A new concession was handed over to Aethel Mining headed by Ricardo Santos Silva in 2016{{Cite web|title=Mining in Moncorvo resumes after 12 years|url=https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/mining-in-moncorvo-resumes-after-12-years/53421|access-date=25 June 2020|website=www.theportugalnews.com}}{{Cite web|title=Æthel Mining announces its purchase of MTI – Ferro de Moncorvo – NS Energy|url=https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/aethel-mining-announces-its-purchase-of-mti-ferro-de-moncorvo/|access-date=25 June 2020|language=en-US}}
Exploration activities began on 19 June 2020 and Aethel Mining estimates that it will extract around 300 000 tonnes of iron ore by the end of 2020.
References
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