Corta Atalaya
Encyclopedia
Corta Atalaya is the largest open-pit mine in Europe and was at one time the largest in the world. It is located within the city limits of Minas de Riotinto
in the province
of Huelva, autonomous community
of Andalusia
, Spain
. It is roughly elliptical in shape, 1200 metres (3,937 ft) long, 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) wide, and 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) deep. It was one of the most ambitious projects of the Rio Tinto Group
. At its peak it employed 2,000 workers; it was actively mined until 1992. Since at least 1994 it has been flooded up to the 16th ring.
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 year earlier, caused by the combustion of pyrites in the earlier subterranean mines. The mines were nationalized in 1954 but later sold back to a private company. As of October 2009, the current owner, EMED Tartessus, says they will have the mine operating again before the end of 2010.
. It is part of a zone of volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
s of Silurian
to Carboniferous
age which has produced significant copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver.
, which in 1907 became the Corta Atalaya open-pit mine.
In 1873, Rio Tinto Company, later Rio Tinto Group
, acquired the mines of Riotinto. Encountering the problem of transporting miners from their homes to their workplaces, and taking only economic concerns into consideration, they planned construction of houses where the miners had already built huts to stay overnight near the mines. Thus, the village of La Atalaya was founded in 1883. The company simply substituted more durable buildings for the huts, constructing neighborhoods in the locations the miners had already chosen. Construction began on 100 houses, each of 45 square metres (484.4 sq ft), providing only the most minimal necessities of lodging.
The company then went on to build a public plaza, chapel, grocery store, casino, school, and a Guardia Civil
barracks. For almost a century, this was home to many of the miners, first those working in the subterranean mine and then in the Corta Atalaya open pit. The population peaked around 1910:
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
lay in the path of the mine; the town was moved to its present site.
For some time after the mine closed in 1992, it was possible to visit the mine. EMED Tartessus did not allow the public to visit as of 2007, but was discussing the possibility of changing that.
EMED projects that eventually the mine will again employ 450 people, and that they will be spending over €130 million per year in Spain. As of September 2007, they had spent €3.5 million and budgeted another €15 million toward cleanup and resumption of operations. As of 26 October 2009, they projected that production would resume by the end of 2010.
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.
The nearby golf
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.
Minas de Riotinto
Minas de Ríotinto is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, southern Spain.-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía* - Riotinto's website...
in the province
Provinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
of Huelva, autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is roughly elliptical in shape, 1200 metres (3,937 ft) long, 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) wide, and 350 metres (1,148.3 ft) deep. It was one of the most ambitious projects of the Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
. At its peak it employed 2,000 workers; it was actively mined until 1992. Since at least 1994 it has been flooded up to the 16th ring.
This open-pit mine in the western part of the Masa San Dionisio was begun in 1907 after major subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
in some of the higher-altitude parts of the area two year earlier, caused by the combustion of pyrites in the earlier subterranean mines. The mines were nationalized in 1954 but later sold back to a private company. As of October 2009, the current owner, EMED Tartessus, says they will have the mine operating again before the end of 2010.
Geology
Corta Atalaya is a mine in western part of the Iberian Pyrite BeltIberian Pyrite Belt
The Iberian Pyrite Belt is a vast geographical area with particular geological features that stretches along much of the south of the Iberian Peninsula, from Portugal to Spain. It is about 250 km long and 30–50 km wide, running northwest to southeast from Alcácer do Sal to Sevilla...
. It is part of a zone of volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit
Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly Cu-Zn-Pb which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments....
s of Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
to Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
age which has produced significant copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver.
La Atalaya
The village of La Atalaya was constructed for the subterranean mining of the San Dionisio seamStratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
, which in 1907 became the Corta Atalaya open-pit mine.
In 1873, Rio Tinto Company, later Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
, acquired the mines of Riotinto. Encountering the problem of transporting miners from their homes to their workplaces, and taking only economic concerns into consideration, they planned construction of houses where the miners had already built huts to stay overnight near the mines. Thus, the village of La Atalaya was founded in 1883. The company simply substituted more durable buildings for the huts, constructing neighborhoods in the locations the miners had already chosen. Construction began on 100 houses, each of 45 square metres (484.4 sq ft), providing only the most minimal necessities of lodging.
The company then went on to build a public plaza, chapel, grocery store, casino, school, and a Guardia Civil
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Civil Guard is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal military-status police force. As a police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri and the...
barracks. For almost a century, this was home to many of the miners, first those working in the subterranean mine and then in the Corta Atalaya open pit. The population peaked around 1910:
| Year | 1888 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 823 | 1272 | 1472 | 1105 | 1238 | 1009 | 662 |
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
Minas de Ríotinto is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, southern Spain.-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía* - Riotinto's website...
lay in the path of the mine; the town was moved to its present site.
After closure
As of 2007, EMED Mining owns 51% of the mine. EMED Mining has established EMED Tartessus, which is currently tasked with cleaning and restarting the mine, and Proyecto de Rio Tinto to operate it for the long term.For some time after the mine closed in 1992, it was possible to visit the mine. EMED Tartessus did not allow the public to visit as of 2007, but was discussing the possibility of changing that.
EMED projects that eventually the mine will again employ 450 people, and that they will be spending over €130 million per year in Spain. As of September 2007, they had spent €3.5 million and budgeted another €15 million toward cleanup and resumption of operations. As of 26 October 2009, they projected that production would resume by the end of 2010.
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
PROXIMA
PROXIMA is a Spanish underground science fiction film, written and directed by Carlos Atanes, and co-produced by FORTKNOX Audiovisual and Ciberpsique Audiovisual, in collaboration with the University of Huelva and the 3 de Marzo Alumni Association of the University of Huelva.- Synopsis :Tony , who...
, written and directed by Carlos Atanes
Carlos Atanes
Carlos Atanes is a Spanish film director and writer.Born in Barcelona, Spain, Atanes has written and directed many works since 1987, using different genres and techniques . In 1991, he shot The Marvellous World of the Cucu Bird, which has been followed by another experimental works as El Tenor...
, which used the mine as an otherworldly landscape.
The nearby golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
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.
Gallery
The following images help to give a sense of the scale of the mine.External links
- Clive Boulter (University of Southampton), CORTA ATALAYA - the westernmost mine in the Rio Tinto camp, part of The Iberian Pyrite Belt: physical volcanology