Peña del Hierro mine

The Peña del Hierro mine[a] (Spanish: Mina de Peña del Hierro) is a Spanish mining deposit located in the municipality of Nerva, Huelva Province, within the Riotinto-Nerva mining basin.[1] It is also part of the massive sulfide concentration known as the Iberian Pyrite Belt.[2] Its name derives from the large ferruginous outcrop that crowns the open-pit mine.[1] The exploitation of the deposit experienced its heyday between the 19th and 20th centuries, although it always remained in the shadow of the Riotinto deposits.[3] After becoming inactive, the former mining facilities of Peña del Hierro currently constitute an important historical heritage site.[4]

History

Background

There is evidence that the deposits in the Peña del Hierro area were already being exploited during the Roman period,[5] although at that time the main mining operations in the area were located within the boundaries of the current municipality of Riotinto. The first systematic exploitation of the Peña del Hierro deposit occurred in the 19th century by Agapito Artaloitia, specifically in 1853. A year later, ownership of the mine passed to the mining company "Nuestra Señora de los Reyes" of Spanish capital, which carried out various underground extraction operations. Work continued until 1866, when operations were suspended. During this stage, a total of 198,383 tons of ore were extracted from the Peña del Hierro subsoil.[6]

Period of splendor

Peña del Hierro was subsequently acquired by a foreign capital company, The Peninsular Copper Company, which developed its activities in the area between 1883 and 1900. In 1883 itself, open-pit exploitation of the deposit began through the "cortas" (open-pit) system. Under the management of this company, 286,811 tons of minerals were extracted.[1]

In 1901, The Peña Copper Mines Company Limited was established, a British capital company that acquired ownership of the Peña del Hierro mine, whose facilities were inactive at that time. Under "Peña Copper Mines," the exploitation of the deposits would reach its peak, with 3,992,780 tons of minerals being extracted between 1901 and 1955.[1] Since 1883, a branch line connecting the mine with the Riotinto Railway had been used to transport the extracted product to the Port of Huelva.[2] However, the new company that owned Peña del Hierro opted to have its own railway line—inaugurated in 1914—to transport minerals to the Guadalquivir River, in the Province of Seville.[7] Around the Peña del Hierro facilities, a mining settlement was formed that by that time had a considerable population—825 inhabitants in 1910—and a network of basic services.[b]

Decline and conversion

In 1954, the Peña del Hierro mine passed into the hands of Spanish capitalists after being acquired by the Compañía Nacional de Piritas,[9] which exploited it between 1955 and 1960. During that period, 270,583 tons were obtained.[3] In 1960, extraction operations were abandoned because the low price of pyrite on the market made its exploitation unprofitable. However, the mineral crushing plant remained in service until 1966,[10] while sporadic maintenance and water pumping operations were carried out in the underground workings by a small team of operators. Between 1966 and 1972, the acidic waters from Peña del Hierro were pumped to the cementation ponds at Filón Norte,[11] located within the Riotinto mines. In 1972, the company Río Tinto Patiño acquired the Peña del Hierro deposits.[3]

Since 1987, the former mine became part of the assets of the Fundación Río Tinto, which has carried out a tourist development of the area.[3]

Mining-industrial heritage

The Peña del Hierro complex came to have a series of industrial facilities and infrastructures related to mining activity. Around the Main Shaft, a crushing plant, a hopper, and ore deposits were erected. A network of railway tracks extended through the area to facilitate the circulation of wagons, with the tracks connected to the railway complex. For hydrometallurgical operations, canaleos were built along with a water supply network that included a mining dam, several dikes, and two reservoirs (Tumbanales I and Tumbanales II). Some singular buildings were also constructed, such as the Casa de Dirección, dedicated to administrative purposes; the Casa de Huéspedes, intended to provide accommodation for visiting executives and engineers; or the grupo de viviendas San Carlos, a small residential area where members of the British "staff" were housed.[4]

Likewise, a power plant was built to provide an energy source to the mining facilities.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Although it frequently appears in historiography as "Peña de Hierro," the traditionally used term is "Peña del Hierro."[1]
  2. ^ In this regard, The Peña Copper Mines Company Limited stood out in its era as a pioneer in terms of industrial welfare, while allowing its workers to unionize.[8] This clearly contrasted with the Rio Tinto Company Limited (RTC), which maintained conflictive relations with workers and opted for repressive measures in the face of protests or strikes.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Pérez López 2006, p. 295.
  2. ^ a b Delgado & Regalado 2012, p. 20.
  3. ^ a b c d Delgado & Regalado 2012, p. 14.
  4. ^ a b Delgado & Regalado 2012, pp. 18–26.
  5. ^ Delgado & Regalado 2012, pp. 13–14.
  6. ^ Pinedo Vara 1963, p. 324.
  7. ^ Delgado & Regalado 2012, pp. 20–22.
  8. ^ Arenas Posadas 1999, p. 241.
  9. ^ Ferrero Blanco 2000, p. 421.
  10. ^ Delgado & Regalado 2012, p. 18.
  11. ^ López Pamo 2009, p. 14.
  12. ^ Delgado & Regalado 2012, p. 24.

Bibliography

  • Arenas Posadas, Carlos (1999). Empresa, mercados, mina y mineros. Río Tinto, 1873-1936 [Company, markets, mine and miners. Río Tinto, 1873-1936]. Universidad de Huelva.
  • Delgado, Aquilino; Regalado, María de la Cinta (2012). Catálogo del patrimonio minero industrial de la mina de Peña de Hierro (Nerva, Huelva, España) [Catalogue of the mining-industrial heritage of the Peña de Hierro mine (Nerva, Huelva, Spain)]. Madrid: Sociedad Española para la Defensa del Patrimonio Geológico y Minero. pp. 13–27. ISSN 1888-8615.
  • Ferrero Blanco, María Dolores (2000). Un modelo de minería contemporánea: Huelva, del colonialismo a la mundialización [A model of contemporary mining: Huelva, from colonialism to globalization]. Universidad de Huelva.
  • López Pamo, Enrique (2009). Cortas mineras inundadas de la Faja Pirítica: inventario e hidroquímica [Flooded mining pits of the Pyrite Belt: inventory and hydrochemistry]. Madrid: Instituto Geológico y Minero de España.
  • Pérez López, Juan Manuel (2006). "Los ferrocarriles en la provincia de Huelva: Un recorrido por el pasado". In Emilio Romero Macías (dir.) (ed.). El ferrocarril minero de Peña del Hierro: dos modelos de explotación ferroviaria [The mining railway of Peña del Hierro: two models of railway exploitation]. Universidad de Huelva. pp. 293–320.
  • Pinedo Vara, Isidro (1963). Piritas de Huelva. Su historia, minería y aprovechamiento [Pyrites of Huelva. Their history, mining and exploitation]. Suc. de Rivadeneyra.
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