Métodos prospectivos de oro en época romana, ¿usaban mercurio para su beneficio?
- J. Fernandez-Lozano 1
- A.N. Nnandong 2
- S. Rivera 2
- J.M. Esbrí 2
- R. Carrasco 3
- J. Pedraza 4
- P. Higueras 2
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1
Universidad de León
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- 2 Univerrsidad de Castilla-La Mancha
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3
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
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4
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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ISSN: 1576-5172
Ano de publicación: 2021
Título do exemplar: X Congreso Geológico de España
Número: 18
Páxinas: 788
Tipo: Artigo
Outras publicacións en: Geotemas (Madrid)
Resumo
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.