500 years of mining in Brazil: a brief review

Upon the arrival of Portuguese settlers to Brazil in 1500, there was an obs ession to find precious metals and gems. However, it took almost two centur ies to find economic and abundant gold deposits in Minas Gerais. Gold and d iamonds generated fabulous wealth to the Portuguese crown during the 18th c entury and part of the next. As the alluvial deposits were depleted, better techniques had to be employed to assure profitability, but a number of fai lures apparently eroded the motivation of Brazilian entrepreneurs to invest in mining during the Empire. As the population grew and the country starte d its industrialization process in the 20th century, the mining industry di versified intensely and became one of the six largest mineral producers in the world. Notwithstanding these achievements, it is likely that the best i s yet to come, regarding gold, diamonds and other valuable minerals. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.