Seeking new mining developments for the area

Same activity, very different focus. This phrase could summarize the work that has been carried out over the past year by Emerita Resources Spain in the Andevalo towns of Puebla de Guzman and Paymogo (in the province of Huelva). The Iberian Belt West (IBW) project seeks to recuperate mining in these municipalities, as it is a deeply rooted activity in the area, but one that disappeared back in 1988 when the Herrerias mine closed in Puebla de Guzman.

It was a “time-out” moment that Emerita strives to conclude. Since August of 2021, the prospection firm has launched the research phase of the project. It is aimed at seeking detailed information about mining deposits still hidden in the subsoil, specifically in the 1,545 hectares (some 3,818 acres) in three different locations: La Infanta, El Cura and La Romanera.

Upon learning the details of these polymetallic deposits rich in zinc, copper, lead, gold or silver, the quantity, quality, and characteristics of these minerals aims to facilitate the execution of an economically feasible project. Thanks to this, that “timeout” moment aims to conclude.

Nevertheless, things will not be like they used to be. Miners will not be seen in the towns’ streets as they were decades ago. Today, miners are highly qualified personnel, trained and perfectly knowledgeable about the operation and in the use of sophisticated techniques and the machinery used in today’s modern mining operations.

In fact, for the current research phase, these skilled workers are already visible. More than 200 people have been drilling in the field for over a year now. There are specialized staff at the test plant where the core samples are extracted from the subsoil, studied, analyzed and processed, in addition to those at the office from where all of these activities are coordinated.

At La Infanta, 78 diamonds holes are recuperating cores from the already drilled 17,860-linear meter prospection site. The deepest drilling has reached 500 meters. From the drilling platforms authorized by the Unified Environmental Authorization (AAU), Emerita has drilled almost 20,000 linear meters at La Romanera, where they have reached a core depth of 700 meters. The company’s goal is to complete a resource estimation based on drilling completed by year-end. Drilling will continue as long as the deposit remains open beyond that date.

Work is constant. Drilling continues non-stop day and night. There are two shifts of workers that maintain the operation 24 hours a day.

Rafael Delgado Guerra is one of them. He is a technical engineer in mining and works as drilling supervisor for Insersa, a company from Huelva, contracted by Emerita for this task. Born in the mining town of Minas de Riotinto, he has been working in the sector for over 15 years, as did most of his ancestors.

For Rafael Delgado, going back to mining in to the province of Huelva, and more specifically in this area, is “very positive.” It means recuperating a family tradition as well as it being his main option for the future, and not only for him, but for the entire province, especially when “considering the current economic context we are experiencing the world over, with one crisis following another, and even more so in Andalusia, where unemployment increases daily.”

The cores that driller extract daily from deep inside the earth are sorted, organized and packed in special boxes, and then transported to the test plant in Puebla de Guzman or Paymogo. There, project prospection geologist Etienne Gonzalez, describes a process that starts with the distribution of the distinct boxes to the especially created work stations. Each one is assigned a core as defined on the actual box. Once organized, the “core handling” process beings. According to Gonzalez, it is a matter of reconstructing, cleaning, measuring and photographing them prior to moving on the “geotechnical logging” or a detailed study of the sample’s characteristics.

Later, the geologists who supervised the previous steps begin their work by logging the samples, although “now, focusing on identifying the rock.” As Etienne Gonzalez explains, “with a naked eye, geologists can see whether or not a rock contains ore; usually it is a series of minerals.” He continues, “Its weight alone provides information, but we also have to observe its luster and other characteristics, and sometimes we can even appreciate the various metals that make up the polymetallic rock but simple observation.”

Then it time for sampling, “but only the mineralized zones of the cores.” These are labeled, cut, bagged and shipped to the laboratory for geochemical analysis. “The results are later interpreted at the office, where the model is configured to determine the general characteristics of the deposit.” For Etienne Gonzales, it is a “passionate” job where “we learn something every day, and discover new things.”

Undoubtedly, it is the townspeople who are most excited about this long and meticulous scientific research process. They long for an activity that employed many of their forefathers while hoping to resume it soon, thus starting a future filled with opportunities for the entire region.

Local Mayors representing both municipalities welcome a project that, for the Mayor of Puebla, Antonio Beltran “is the recovery of the expectation for industrial employment that we had not had in decades.” Maria Dolores Fernandez, his counterpart from Paymogo, stated that it “could be a powerful reward for a region like Andevalo, which has always been the Cinderella of the province, as well as for Andalusia and Spain.” She concludes explaining that “we hope this project will also be successful, and that all the expectations we have been talking about for months will become a reality so that we see development and the creation of employment.”