There’s gold to be had in Guadiana…maybe
Apparently Guadiana might be the home of a minor gold rush in the future seeing as how a company has applied for prospecting right for gold and other precious metals along the banks of the Guadiana River.
Bolt Resources PTY has applied to the Portuguese government to prospect for gold as a result of the discovery of gold particles by University of Algarve scientists, who were studying sediments in the river estuary in the area of Castro Marim.
The company will be prospecting for gold and silver as well as other valuable deposits like copper, zinc, lead, tin, tungsten and antimony.
It’s a known fact that precious minerals have been found in many parts of the Algarve region throughout the ages. During Roman times, various precious metal was mined across the Algarve region and up towards the Alentejo, alongside other useful metals such as tin and copper.
The search will focus on the Alcoutim and castro marim region – covering 576 square kilometers, however it will also focus on the Alentejo district of Mertola.
The scientists also theorized that Monchique might have some hidden reserves of gold and silver as well, but they wanted to emphasize that there is no evidence of large deposits of the metals.
This discovery of small gold particles happened back in 2007, but the company has only decided to explore the possibility this year.
Jose Estevens – the Mayor of Castro Marim – wasn’t aware of the Bold Resources plan so he wasn’t able to comment on the fact, but he did know about it after reading the official government publication and said that the initiative would be a benefit to the region.
The application for prospecting is subject to a 30-day waiting period in which time interested parties will be able to lodge objections or submit preferential rights to the Direção de Serviços de Minas e Pedreiras da Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia in Lisbon.
