Minas de Corrales
| Minas de Corrales | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Coordinates: 31 ° 34 ′ S , 55 ° 28 ′ W Minas de Corrales on the map of Uruguay
|
||
| Basic data | ||
| Country |
 Uruguay
|
|
| Department | Rivera | |
| Residents | 3788 (2011) | |
| City insignia | ||
 |
||
| Detailed data | ||
| Post Code | 40002 | |
| City Presidency | Jesus Cuadro da Rosa | |
Minas de Corrales is a city in northern Uruguay . The name is derived from the cattle pen there ( corral ) and the historic gold mines.
geography
The city is located in the department of Rivera in its sector 5 .
history
The San Gregorio gold deposit was mined between 1879 and 1939. In 1908 there was a transition from surface opencast mining to underground mining , with the tunnels reaching a depth of up to 80 meters. In the period from 1889 to 1915 about two million grams of gold were mined, but according to the few documents that have been preserved, the mine was already operating with enormous losses from 1911 to 1914. Additional gold ore was mined in Zapucay to the east and Santa Ernestina to the west, as well as numerous smaller vein deposits in the area.
Twelve kilometers west of Minas de Corrales are the ruins of the former Cuñapirú hydroelectric power station , the first of its kind in South America. It supplied the electrical energy for mining and processing plants. The ore was transported via a unique “airway” ( aerocarril ), which was very modern for its time. However, the complex technology and the low efficiency of the hydropower plant probably contributed to the economic decline of the mining industry.
On November 9, 1920, Minas de Corrales was classified in the "Pueblo" category by Law No 7.299.
economy
In 1996, with the help of Canadian, US and Australian donors, the gold rush, which ended in an economic fiasco, was built on. Since then, open pit mining for gold has been taking place again. This led to the creation of around 200 new jobs in this sector. Many of the workers are commuters from Vichadero and Tranqueras . A number of domestic and foreign specialists also work in the mine. The remains of the facilities in Cuñapirú are now an important destination for local tourism .
The gold is bound in quartz veins of varying thickness (up to 30 meters in San Gregorio, in granitic host rock, up to 10 meters in Zapucay, in green schist ). Occasionally the gold is also accompanied by some pyrite , chalcopyrite and galena .
Infrastructure
As a result of mining, Minas de Corrales has a comparatively good infrastructure, compared to other places in the Departamento de Rivera. The Ruta 29 runs through the city, which the Ruta 28 meets in the urban area from the north .
Minas de Corrales, main street (Ruta 29)
San Gregorio gold mine, administration building
San Gregorio, open pit mine
Population and Demographic Development
The population is 3,788, of which 1,947 are male and 1,841 are female. (Status 2011)
| year | Residents |
|---|---|
| 1963 | - |
| 1975 | 1,377 |
| 1985 | 2,426 |
| 1996 | 2,938 |
| 2004 | 3,444 |
| 2011 | 3,788 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
City administration
Mayor ( Alcalde ) of Minas de Corrales is Jesus Cuadro da Rosa .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Postal code directory of the Uruguayan Post
- ↑ a b Jorge Bossi: "Recursos minerales del Uruguay", p. 115-116, Ediciones Daniel Aljanati, Montevideo, 1978.
- ↑ "Departamento de Rivera - Actividad humana y económica" on www.papiros.com.uy ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 57 kB)
- ↑ Statistical data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay , accessed on September 21, 2012
- ↑ Statistical data of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay 1963–1996 (DOC; 78 kB)
- ↑ Statistical data of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay ( Memento of the original of November 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "MUNICIPIOS DE URUGUAY" on the website of the Uruguayan Congress of Directors ( Memento of March 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
