Latitude: 41°9'47"N
Longitude: 0°45'48"E
Pb (Zn, Ag, Ba, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe) lode emplaced in Carboniferous turbidite sequence cut by late-Hercynian granite porphyry dikes. The mineralization a brecciated vein cemented by carbonates and sulfides.
Old dumps below the village.
The village of Bellmunt del Priorat was the center of one of the most prolific lead mining areas in Catalonia between the end of the 19th century and the 1970s.
The Eugenia Mine was the most important Pb mine in the area: it consisted of more than 14 km of galleries up to 620 m deep distributed in 20 levels, reaching more than 300 m below the sea level. A metallurgical ore-processing complex was built around the mine during the first years of the 20th century. A modernist syle building built in 1905, called "Casa de les Mines", hosted the "Minas del Priorato, S.A." company headquarters, laboratories and offices until the mine was definitely closed in 1972.
Since 2002, the area has been restored as a museum associated to the "Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya" (Science and Technics Museum of Catalonia). Some buildings have been rehabilitated and host a small display about the history and geology of the mine. Today, the visit includes a guided tour that enters the gallery of level 1 for a walk of 700 m, 35 m below the surface. Free mineral collecting is not authorized, although it may be permitted upon request for scientific purposes.
References
- Chronique de la Rechèrche Minière, Univ. Genève, 1998 (533, suppl.): 16
- Joan Abella i Creus (2008): Minerals I Mines De La Conca De Bellmunt Del Priorat. Encuadernación Rústica, 128 pp.
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http://www.mnactec.com [Link dead. Jul 2011] (Museum)
Mineral List
36 entries listed. 35 valid minerals.
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