The ancient Andeans revered shiny gold, with a fascination that reached a pinnacle during the time of the Inca Empire (1438 to 1533) when gold was believed to represent Inti, the Sun god. In my post: Gold – Essence of the Sun – I wrote about some aspects of this glittering metal and concluded by mentioning that there are dark sides to gold.
My first trip to Peru showed me one of those dark sides. During several days of travel by boat through the Tambopota National Reserve in the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Peru, I was chagrined to see numerous illegal gold mining operations. From barges in the middle of the Tambopota River, pumps are used to suck gravel and water from the riverbed. The dense gold is gravity-separated on a washing table and later mixed with mercury to further separate the gold; the excess gravel is dumped off the barge back into the river. In the surrounding rainforest, high pressure jets of water are aimed at the soft soil, excavating huge trenches that can expose former riverbeds where gold settled after washing down from the Andes Mountains (see photos, taken one year apart, below). The diesel fumes in the air and muddy, sediment-filled water surrounding these operations provide just a hint of the environmental destruction, social disruption and health hazards that are created by this illegal mining.
Curious to learn more, I came across a website with blog posts written by Barbara Fraser (http://barbara-fraser.com/ ). Barbara is a journalist based in Lima, Peru who writes about environmental and public health issues in Latin America. Her articles are published in numerous prestigious journals, including Nature, Science, Scientific American, and Discover, and she covers many topics of interest, including the mercury contamination and deforestation associated with illegal gold mining.
Check out some of her excellent articles at the links below – and find more on her website:
http://barbara-fraser.com/alluvial-gold-mining/
http://barbara-fraser.com/would-you-like-some-mercury-with-that-fish/
http://barbara-fraser.com/deforestation/
You can also read my original post here: https://roseannechambers.com/gold-essence-of-the-sun/
As long as the free-market price of gold continues to rise – as it has for decades – miners around the planet will continue to seek this glittering metal. Mitigating the adverse impacts of this mining will be an ongoing challenge.
Below, aerial photos taken in 2016 (top) and then one year later in 2017 (bottom) that show the devastation from illegal gold mining in the Madre de Dios region of Peru.
The extent to which we humans exploit Nature and animals and our fellow human beings to satisfy our personal greed never fails to appall me. I hope that someday our species will evolve to the point that we will put the environment and each other, both present and future, before our personal needs and wishes or at least give the two equal consideration.
Thanks for your comment Diana. I agree! The 2016 and 2017 photos I show at the end of the post make me very sad. They clearly display how new mines were opened around the abandoned (oxbow) river channels, destroying the landscape. AND there is quite a bit of poverty in that region, so I’m sure at least some of those miners were simply trying to feed themselves and their families. A very tough situation.
Good point, Roseanne. How easy for me, from my lofty position of White Privilege, to assume greed over survival needs. I stand humbly corrected.