Métodos prospectivos de oro en época romana, ¿usaban mercurio para su beneficio?

  1. J. Fernandez-Lozano 1
  2. A.N. Nnandong 2
  3. S. Rivera 2
  4. J.M. Esbrí 2
  5. R. Carrasco 3
  6. J. Pedraza 4
  7. P. Higueras 2
  1. 1 Universidad de León
    info

    Universidad de León

    León, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02tzt0b78

  2. 2 Univerrsidad de Castilla-La Mancha
  3. 3 Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
    info

    Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

    Ciudad Real, España

    ROR https://ror.org/05r78ng12

  4. 4 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR 02p0gd045

Zeitschrift:
Geotemas (Madrid)

ISSN: 1576-5172

Datum der Publikation: 2021

Titel der Ausgabe: X Congreso Geológico de España

Nummer: 18

Seiten: 788

Art: Artikel

Andere Publikationen in: Geotemas (Madrid)

Zusammenfassung

The use of mercury (Hg) for the extraction of gold from placer-type deposits by amalgamation, where free-gold is found in the sediments as a result of the hydraulic force, represents the cornerstone of Roman archaeology. Although there exist evidences for the use of mercury during this historical period, few studies have been carried out to establish the conditions under which its use was justified in the recovery and benefit of gold from secondary deposits. In this work, a geochemical study of mercury was performed to establish the mechanism of gold recovery in relation to this type of exploitations. For this purpose, two mining sectors with similar characteristics have been selected, where the use of Hg would be justified across the washing sector of the mines (agogae channel). The results indicate that the anomalies observed would be linked to the collection of Hg for subsequent use, since a high concentration is revealed in the lower sectors of the exploitation. This confirms the use of mercury for gold mining in gold-bearing placer deposits, shedding light on the recovery methods used in Roman times.