Corta Atalaya on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Corta Atalaya is the largest open-pit mine in Europe.Emed Mining gestiona reapertura al turismo de Corta Atalaya en mina Riotinto
eleconomista.es, 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It is located within the city limits of
part o
Guía de la Faja Pirítica Ibérica: Historia y Naturaleza
(2006) on the official site of the Autonomous Andalusian Government. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It was actively mined until 1992.Beatriz Santacruz
La evolución de las minas de Riotinto
''El Mundo Magazine'', Issue 101, 2001-09-02. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It is now owned by Atalaya Mining, formerly EMED Mining, through its 100%-owned subsidiary, EMED Tartessus SL.
In 1873, Rio Tinto Company, later Rio Tinto Group, acquired the mines of Riotinto. This open-pit mine in the western part of the Masa San Dionisio was begun in 1907 after major subsidence in some of the higher-altitude parts of the area two years earlier. At its peak the mine employed 2,000 workers mining
, www.emed-mining.com. Retrieved 2012-06-07. Although mining activity has not re-commenced at Corta Atalaya, the company re-started commercial production of copper further east at Cerro Colorado in February 2016. Two films have used the former mine as a locale: '' El corazón de la tierra'', directed by Antonio Cuadri and based on the novel of the same name by Juan Cobos Wilkins, a political-historical film about the Rio Tinto mines; and the science fiction film '' Proxima'', written and directed by Carlos Atanes, which used the mine as an otherworldly landscape.
''Bocamina'', Number 4 (1994)
Retrieved 2010-01-06. Since at least 1994 it has been flooded up to the 16th ring.
The village of La Atalaya was founded in 1883.
In 1970, La Atalaya had 257 buildings and a population of 823. That year, approval was received to enlarge the pit; in 1971, La Atalaya was destroyed because it was in the path of the mining. La Atalaya was not the only townsite sacrificed to the mine. Earlier, the original location of Club de Golf Atalaya
, official site. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
File:Atalaya 1.JPG, Near the right of this image, in the fourth ring from the bottom, you can see an object.
File:Locomotora1.JPG, Here, we zoom in, so the object can be made out a bit more easily.
File:Locomotora2.JPG, Zooming in further, one can see that the object is an abandoned
CORTA ATALAYA - the westernmost mine in the Rio Tinto camp
part o
{{coord, 37, 42, 12, N, 6, 36, 10, W, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in the Province of Huelva Geography of the Province of Huelva Iberian Pyritic Belt Mines in Spain Open-pit mines Surface mines in Spain
eleconomista.es, 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It is located within the city limits of
Minas de Riotinto
Minas de Riotinto is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, southern Spain.
Minas de Riotinto also comprises the neighborhoods known as El Alto de la Mesa and La Dehesa.
See also
* ...
in the province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of Huelva, autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of Andalusia, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.Minas de Riotinto - Huelvapart o
Guía de la Faja Pirítica Ibérica: Historia y Naturaleza
(2006) on the official site of the Autonomous Andalusian Government. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It was actively mined until 1992.Beatriz Santacruz
La evolución de las minas de Riotinto
''El Mundo Magazine'', Issue 101, 2001-09-02. Retrieved 2010-01-06. It is now owned by Atalaya Mining, formerly EMED Mining, through its 100%-owned subsidiary, EMED Tartessus SL.
History
In 1873, Rio Tinto Company, later Rio Tinto Group, acquired the mines of Riotinto. This open-pit mine in the western part of the Masa San Dionisio was begun in 1907 after major subsidence in some of the higher-altitude parts of the area two years earlier. At its peak the mine employed 2,000 workers mining copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
. It was nationalized in 1954 and closed in 1992.
Atalaya Mining, formerly EMED Mining, acquired 100% of the mine, through its 100%-owned subsidiary, EMED Tartessus SL, in October 2008.EMED Mining - Projects in Spain, www.emed-mining.com. Retrieved 2012-06-07. Although mining activity has not re-commenced at Corta Atalaya, the company re-started commercial production of copper further east at Cerro Colorado in February 2016. Two films have used the former mine as a locale: '' El corazón de la tierra'', directed by Antonio Cuadri and based on the novel of the same name by Juan Cobos Wilkins, a political-historical film about the Rio Tinto mines; and the science fiction film '' Proxima'', written and directed by Carlos Atanes, which used the mine as an otherworldly landscape.
Geology
Corta Atalaya is a mine in western part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. It is part of a zone of volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits ofSilurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...
to Carboniferous
The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...
age which has produced significant copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver.Guilbert, John and Charles F. Park, Jr., ''The Geology of Ore Deposits,'' Freeman, 1986, p. 575 It is roughly elliptical in shape, long, wide, and deep. "Minas de Rio Tinto. 5.000 Años de Minería''Bocamina'', Number 4 (1994)
Retrieved 2010-01-06. Since at least 1994 it has been flooded up to the 16th ring.
The village of La Atalaya
The village of La Atalaya was founded in 1883.
In 1970, La Atalaya had 257 buildings and a population of 823. That year, approval was received to enlarge the pit; in 1971, La Atalaya was destroyed because it was in the path of the mining. La Atalaya was not the only townsite sacrificed to the mine. Earlier, the original location of Minas de Riotinto
Minas de Riotinto is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, southern Spain.
Minas de Riotinto also comprises the neighborhoods known as El Alto de la Mesa and La Dehesa.
See also
* ...
lay in the path of the mine; the town was moved to its present site.
The nearby golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
course Club de Golf Atalaya has grass only on its putting greens. Originally the North Lode Golf Club, founded in 1890, it was Spain's oldest, but was abandoned to the growth of the Corta Atalaya pit. It reopened in 1992 under its current name and configuration., official site. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
Gallery
The following images help to give a sense of the scale of the mine.steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
. (Click through for a larger image.)
Notes
External links
* Clive Boulter (University of Southampton)CORTA ATALAYA - the westernmost mine in the Rio Tinto camp
part o
{{coord, 37, 42, 12, N, 6, 36, 10, W, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in the Province of Huelva Geography of the Province of Huelva Iberian Pyritic Belt Mines in Spain Open-pit mines Surface mines in Spain