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Map of Spanish colonial mining in Panama, 1501-1821. The principal Spanish towns and cities related to mining are shown with their date of foundation. The principal goldfields mined by the Spaniards are shown and some of the important gold deposits; other deposits mentioned in the text are shown on Figure 2. The pattern of gold rushes, conquest and settlement is shown by red arrows and dates. Despite the discovery of the Veraguas goldfield in 1502-03, the initial Spanish gold rush of 1510 was in eastern Darien. Settlement and gold mining moved west to Panama in 1519 and Natá in 1522, and then radiated northwards and westwards throughout Veraguas in several gold rushes over the next century. The final gold rush returned east to the Darien and led to the discovery of the rich Espíritu Santo de Cana gold mine in ~1675 (Map by S. Redwood).
Source publication
The history of mining and exploration in Panama is a case
study of the evolution of mining in a tropical, island arc
environment in the New World from prehistoric to modern
times over a period of ~1900 years. Panama has a strong
mineral endowment of gold (~984 t), and copper (~32
Mt) resulting in a rich mining heritage. The mining history
can be di...
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Citations
... Some years ago, however, evidence for pre-Columbian hardrock extraction (stone tools, i.e. hammer stones and mortars, curved rock shapes characteristic of fire setting) was discovered at the Río Grande and Río Coclé del Sur Basins, Panama, in an area with attested primary and secondary gold mineralisation (Mayo, et al., 2007). Based on a geological examination, it is hypothesised that gold, jarosite for use as a pigment, or agate were possibly won there (Redwood, 2020). The close connection between Panama and (southern) Costa Rica, evidenced for example by the shared stylistic traits of metal artefacts, renders it highly plausible that the knowledge of such exploitation techniques was common throughout the region. ...
The wealth of pre-Columbian gold, copper and guanín (an alloy consisting mainly of gold and copper; also tumbaga) artwork of Costa Rica suggests that exploitation of its abundant ore deposits goes back way before the Spanish conquest. The name of Costa Rica itself in fact alludes to the large numbers of golden metal objects worn by the indigenous peoples upon arrival of the conquistadors. Up to now, however, very little is known about pre-Columbian mining in the country or the raw material provenance of these artefacts.In a transdisciplinary project, we aim to reconstruct the metallurgical process chain by combining (mining) archaeological research with geochemical analysis of local ores and metal artefacts using a combination of different techniques. We identified four major gold and copper districts with different mineralisation types, which are the focus of our fieldwork-based research. They are surveyed for potential signs of pre-Columbian metal production and sampled for ores and their processing remains. On the other side of the process chain, we focus on the metal artefacts in museum collections. They are systematically registered in a database, which serves as a basis to identify correlations with the geochemical signatures of the artefacts, and to retrace potential links to possible areas of origin or different workshops. Once the necessary basic data have been collected, we will focus on economic and socio-cultural aspects of metal production and circulation. The results from Costa Rica will be put into perspective of New World early metallurgy and can provide a starting point for future research between Mesoamerica and the Isthmo-Colombian region.
... Five recognized eras of exploration and mining activity occurred in Panama, dating from Paleoindian quarrying to Pre-Columbian gold mining to the modern day (Redwood 2020). Indigenous gold mining activity in Panama pre-dates the Spanish conquest of the region by nearly 1400 years, and archaeological evidence suggests gold hammered adornments worn by chieftains rival those of Peru (Redwood 2020). ...
... Five recognized eras of exploration and mining activity occurred in Panama, dating from Paleoindian quarrying to Pre-Columbian gold mining to the modern day (Redwood 2020). Indigenous gold mining activity in Panama pre-dates the Spanish conquest of the region by nearly 1400 years, and archaeological evidence suggests gold hammered adornments worn by chieftains rival those of Peru (Redwood 2020). With no mining history museum in Panama, Veragold engaged with stakeholders to explore opportunities to fill this void. ...
This case study documents the early formative steps a private mining and land development firm is taking on its journey to co-create a post-mining vision with stakeholders in Central Panama. The term ‘mine closure’ is intentionally avoided to shift our planning focus away from liabilities and closure of the mine towards creating opportunities from the continuous transitioning of a landscape. In so doing, creative design energies are redirected to catalysing socio-economic diversification early on and in tandem with mine development. Using a novel application of Systemic Design techniques to the mining context, we demonstrate how the conventional strategic mine planning function for the company has been replaced with a transitional landscape planning approach, placing greater emphasis on progressive rehabilitation and the value it can bring to the community. Nearly every technical and strategic design decision has been influenced by collaborative dialogues with stakeholders over several decades. Corporate expertise in real estate development, mining, energy, and agriculture is being leveraged to develop the Mina Santa Rosa project and other private land holdings as shared spaces from which diverse, long-term socio-economic activity can be incubated. Each ‘Shared Space Initiative’ will be co-designed with the community and regional partners, with a special emphasis on engaging students from primary school through university in the design, monitoring, and care of these properties. ‘Shared Opportunity Ventures' will establish satellite enterprises with local entrepreneurs and regional partners to generate benefits from all extracted materials including waste rock as aggregate, mill fines and rock dust as soil amendments, and paste tailings for a range of industrial applications. Finally, a collaborative research agenda is being drafted to facilitate the effective transitioning of the Mina Santa Rosa mine to a multi-functional and resilient production landscape that will improve food security in the region while supporting native biodiversity. By examining how each corporate decision has been reshaped by stakeholder input, we hope to inspire further debate, inquiry, and co-innovation that will leave a positive legacy long after ‘the last ounce is poured.’
... Panama has a long and fascinating history of mining over almost two millennia since pre-Columbian times, as described in a companion paper (Redwood, 2020) and by others (Carles, 1962;Mérida, 1973;Castillero Calvo, 2008, 2019Mendez, 2013). Mining was dominated by gold for most of this history and Panama was one of the richest gold provinces of the Spanish empire in the 16 th -18 th centuries. ...
The mineral deposits of the Panama microplate are hosted by a composite volcano-plutonic island arc of Late Cretaceous to Quaternary age developed on an oceanic plateau, the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP), on the western, trailing edge of the Caribbean Plate. Large igneous provinces are formed by gold and chalcophile element-enriched, mantle plume-related magmas, which may explain the strong metal endowment of Panama of about 32 Mt copper and >984 t gold.
The progressive collision of the Panama arc with South America since the middle Eocene resulted in deformation and oroclinal bending of the arc and metallogenic belts. In western Panama, the copper-gold belts young from south to north away from the subduction zone, whereas in eastern Panama the belts young from north to south. An Early Arc of late Campanian to Eocene age (71-34 Ma) developed related to northerly subduc tion of the Farallon Plate. It has submarine Si-Mn-Fe exhalite deposits in the Nombre de Dios and Montijo belts with showings of Au-rich VMS Cu-Zn mineralization. The San Blas porphyry Cu-Au belt formed in eastern Panama (Rio Pito and other porphyry Cu-Au prospects), while the western continuation, offset by 200 km sinistrally to the Azuero Belt, hosts high sulphidation epithermal Au-Cu deposits (Cerro Quema and others) in porphyry lithocaps.The arc migrated to the northern Azuero-Soná belt in the middle to late Eocene with the formation of epithermal Au-Ag-Pb-Cu mineralization,
and a porphyry Au prospect (Soná). A Middle Arc developed in the Oligocene to lower Miocene (31-18 Ma) related to the NE-dipping subduction of the Farallon Plate followed by the Nazca Plate. In eastern Panama, the arc formed intermediate sulphidation epithermal Au deposits in high grade breccias (Espiritu Santo de Cana mine) and carbonates (Rio Mogue prospect), and porphyry Cu mineralization (Ipeti). The eastern
Panama arc shut down in the lower Miocene as a result of the change of the Nazca Plate convergence to strike slip. The Middle Arc in western Panama, on the northern side of the Central Cordillera, hosts the Petaquilla belt of porphyry Cu (the supergiant Cobre Panama porphyry Cu-Mo-Au-Ag deposit) and epithermal Au (Molejon) deposits, and probably the epithermal Au deposits of the Veraguas belt. The Later Arc of Miocene
to Quaternary age (18-0 Ma) of the Central Cordillera of western Panama hosts low sulphidation epithermal Au vein and breccia-hosted deposits (Capira, Remance,
Santa Rosa), high sulphidation epithermal Au deposits (Cerro Lloron, Rio Liri), and porphyry Cu deposits (the supergiant Cerro Colorado porphyry Cu-Mo-Au-Ag
deposit and the Cerro Chorcha porphyry Cu-Au deposit). Uplift of the young porphyries in the western part of the belt is related to the subduction of the Cocos aseismic oceanic ridge. Deposits formed by Quaternary weathering include lateritic bauxite and iron ore in the Chiriqui-Veraguas belt; heavy mineral Fe-Ti sands in beach/marine placer deposits in the Gulf of Panama; and extensive placer Au deposits in Northern Darien, Darien, Chepo, Coclé, Veraguas, western Azuero-Soná, and many other small deposits.
Las partículas resultantes de las actividades humanas dentro de una cuenca
hidrográfica acumulan metales en el sedimento de los cuerpos hídricos
receptores. Una concentración excesiva de estos metales se puede relacionar
con niveles altos de toxicidad en prejuicio del ambiente. El objetivo de este
estudio es cuantificar la concentración de mercurio en el sedimento de la
subcuenca transfronteriza del río Suches (Perú y Bolivia) y así evaluar su
calidad al compararlos con los valores guía de calidad para sedimento. Cuatro
puntos de colecta fueron determinados a lo largo de la cuenca alta y media del
Suches durante la época de lluvias. Las muestras fueron procesadas en una
digestión ácida, el resultante fue analizado por un espectrómetro de emisión
atómica acoplado a un inductor de plasma (ICP-AES). Las concentraciones
muestran que los puntos cercanos a la laguna Suches (cuenca alta)
presentan los valores más altos (0,46 mg/kg) y los puntos más alejados
concentraciones de 0,06 mg/kg o menores. Los índices de contaminación
(factor de contaminación e índice de geoacumulación) demostraron que
el sedimento, más cercano a la laguna está altamente contaminado. Sin
embargo, esta condición va mejorando cuando nos alejamos de estos
puntos (aguas abajo). En conclusión, la calidad del sedimento ubica los
valores de la cuenca alta como plausibles de toxicidad con el ecosistema y
consecuentemente con la salud pública.
