The abandoned mine of Achada do Gamo
The abandoned mine of Achada do Gamo

The abandoned mine of Achada do Gamo

The abandoned mine of Achada do Gamo

An abandoned open pit mine

São Domingos, Portugal

Located in São Domingos (province of Alentejo) south of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, the mine of Achada do Gamo is an abandoned open pit mine. Located in the heart of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, which extends from southern Portugal to Spain, the region of the mine consists of the outcropping volcanic and sedimentary rocks that vary in age from 542 to 251 million years.

The history of mining in the area dates back over 4300 years when Phoenicians and Carthaginians already harvested copper during the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age).

It will nevertheless expect the ancient Romans who intensified the production of copper on a large scale. For nearly 400 years, they exploit a mine of copper and pyrite. At this time, the mines could reach a depth of over 40 meters.

The industrial revolution modernize extraction techniques and a British company called Barry Mason took control of the São Domingos mine. They create the Achada do Gamo mine around 1858 and it will continue its operation until 1966, when it closed due to ore depletion. With its intensive operations, and hundred years later at its closure, the open pit mine was a depth of 120 meters and a perimeter of approximately 2 km. It is calculated that all the periods of mining resulted in the production of 25 Mt, and mine waste material in the area is estimated at several hundred thousand tons. In this context, important environmental problems are associated, which are visible within an area around 50 km2.

Related content

The old and abandoned mine

Heavily damaged by the time, the old copper mine is closed for several years. While its lower floors are completely flooded with muddy and stagnant water, the ground floor was, meanwhile, weakened by a sedimentary rock ceiling that collapsed in...

The neurons poet's abandoned plant
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)

The plant itself is definitively not as great at we saw in other places. Located in the heart of Pointe-Saint-Charles neighborhood of Montreal, this two storey building has no longer the cachet of its heyday. While neighboring buildings are...

The Bannerman's Island
Nelsonville, New York (United States)

I was asked to photograph it (legally) by the Trust group thats restoring the island,which was a life long dream of mine.

The history of the island began in 1900 when Francis Bannerman purchased the island. Located in the Hudson River near...

The Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway company
Eastern Townships, Quebec (Canada)

Well, to be honest, the railway Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway site we visited is not a real urbex site. At least not yet. But between you and me, it should not take long.

A story that everybody hear about

Whether you live in...