The structure and mineralogy of the mine

Abstract

Archaeological excavations have revealed prehistoric opencast copper mining at the so-called “La Turquesa Mine” with small, irregular shafts dug by hand with the help of mining artefacts made of porphyritic igneous rocks. However, in recent periods (possibly in the 19th or 20th centuries), the same area was mined using different methods and technologies. These most recent workings include a gallery dug nearby the path that leads to Mas de les Moreres and another gallery by the roadside, just where the Porrera road crosses the Cornudella del Montsant road, and finally a rectangular shaft dug in the area of the prehistoric shafts, which damaged part of the ancient workings. The objective of this paper is to study the mineralogy of the mined ores and their geological setting