Good read:
"We are seeing fresh opportunities
for many old mining countries
where our industry has, perhaps,
been sidelined over past decades. Spain,
with a long history of mining, occupies
about 85% of the Iberian Peninsula and has
some of the most mineralized territory in
Western Europe, particularly the Iberian
Pyrite Belt (IPB). The main polymetallic
deposits, from west to east, include Aljustrel
and Neves Corvo in Portugal, and Tharsis,
Sotiel, Rio Tinto, and Aznalcollar in Spain.
The IPB stretches from Seville in southern
Spain west to south of Lisbon in Portugal
The IPB contains world-class orebodies
including the Rio Tinto mine (copper-gold),
and numerous deposits in the 10 to 100 Mt
range. A total of 1,700 Mt of massive
sulphide ore, both mined and in situ, has
been defined within the IPB, making it the
largest massive sulphide province in the
world. In such well-mineralized terrains it is
not uncommon to find further mineralization
in close proximity to known deposits.Spain is one of the leading European
Union (EU) countries in the value of its mine
output of metallic and non-metallic minerals
and quarry products. It has one of the highest
levels of self-sufficiency with respect to mineral
raw materials among the EU members. Spain
has had a long history of base-metal mining
and in recent years has attracted renewed
interest from many of the world’s major mining
companies for gold and base metal exploration
and extraction. International mineral investment
has been encouraged, CMR says, by several
important factors including the:
The highly prospective geology of the
Iberian Pyrite Belt in the south and the
recent gold discoveries in the north
Transparent legislative framework and
positive fiscal environment covering the
extraction of natural resources
Well-developed infrastructure and available
skilled work force
Extended mining tradition and the track record
of exploration success and mine development
Availability of non-refundable
Government grants for both exploration...."
....
AI
