https://www.earthmagazine.org/tags/ore/ Recent content in Ore on EARTH Magazine Hugo en-US American Geosciences Institute. All rights reserved. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/bolivia-turns-iron-mountain-gold/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/bolivia-turns-iron-mountain-gold/ <p>In the heart of Bolivia&rsquo;s tropics lies a mountain known as El Mutún. The mountain doesn&rsquo;t look exceptional, but beneath its lush cover of vegetation lie 40 billion tons of iron ore &mdash; the world&rsquo;s largest deposit. Although El Mutún&rsquo;s riches have been known for more than 150 years, its remoteness and inaccessibility kept it safe from development &mdash; until now.  </p> https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/long-legacy-perus-mine-death/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500 https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/long-legacy-perus-mine-death/ <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/long-legacy-perus-mine-death/i-23b-7d9-8-5.jpg" alt="Sediments at the bottom of a small lake 4,600 meters high in the Peruvian Andes archive the history of mining and metallurgy at Huancavelica, the largest mercury deposit in the New World. William Hobbs" loading="eager" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Sediments at the bottom of a small lake 4,600 meters high in the Peruvian Andes archive the history of mining and metallurgy at Huancavelica, the largest mercury deposit in the New World. William Hobbs</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/long-legacy-perus-mine-death/i-23c-7d9-8-5.jpg" alt="Colonial ruins litter the landscape around the Huancavelica mercury deposit. Colin Cooke" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Colonial ruins litter the landscape around the Huancavelica mercury deposit. Colin Cooke</figcaption> </figure> <figure class="earth-figure"> <img src="https://www.americangeosciences.org/static/earth/long-legacy-perus-mine-death/i-23d-7d9-8-5.jpg" alt="Laguna Warmicocha, high in the Peruvian Andes, served as base camp for researchers studying the history of mercury mining and pollution in the Andes. Alberto Reyes" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> <figcaption>Laguna Warmicocha, high in the Peruvian Andes, served as base camp for researchers studying the history of mercury mining and pollution in the Andes. Alberto Reyes</figcaption> </figure> <p>The Inca knew there was something sinister about the cinnabar they hauled out of the ground at Huancavelica in Peru hundreds of years ago. They called the mine the Mine of Death. Now, a new study has exposed a 3,500-year history of mercury pollution from the cinnabar mines, a much longer legacy than researchers had previously realized.</p>