132:, acquired the mines of Riotinto. Encountering the problem of transporting miners from their homes to their workplaces, and taking only economic concerns into consideration, they planned construction of houses where the miners had already built huts to stay overnight near the mines. Thus, the village of La Atalaya was founded in 1883. The company simply substituted more durable buildings for the huts, constructing neighborhoods in the locations the miners had already chosen. Construction began on 100 houses, each of 45 square metres (480 sq ft), providing only the most minimal necessities of lodging.
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EMED projects that eventually the mine will again employ 450 people, and that they will be spending over €130 million per year in Spain. As of
September 2007, they had spent €3.5 million and budgeted another €15 million toward cleanup and resumption of operations. As of 26 October 2009, they
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owns 100% of the mine, through its 100%-owned subsidiary, EMED Tartessus SL. EMED Tartessus is currently tasked with cleaning and restarting the mine, and
Proyecto de Rio Tinto to operate it for the long term.
265:. Originally the North Lode Golf Club, founded in 1890, it was Spain's oldest, but was abandoned to the growth of the Corta Atalaya pit. It reopened in 1992 under its current name and configuration.
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For some time after the mine closed in 1992, it was possible to visit the mine. EMED Tartessus did not allow the public to visit as of 2007, but was discussing the possibility of changing that.
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In 1970, La
Atalaya had 257 buildings and a population of 823. That year, approval was received to enlarge the pit; in 1971, La Atalaya was destroyed because it was in the path of the mining.
50:. It is roughly elliptical in shape, 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) long, 900 metres (3,000 ft) wide, and 350 metres (1,150 ft) deep. It was one of the most ambitious projects of the
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barracks. For almost a century, this was home to many of the miners, first those working in the subterranean mine and then in the Corta
Atalaya open pit. The population peaked around 1910:
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in the earlier subterranean mines. The mines were nationalized in 1954 but later sold back to a private company. As of
October 2009, the current owner,
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in some of the higher-altitude parts of the area two years earlier, caused by the combustion of
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in Europe and was at one time the largest in the world. It is located within the city limits of
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The Rio Tinto
Company: an economic history of a leading international mining concern, 1873–1954
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The Rio Tinto
Company: an economic history of a leading international mining concern, 1873–1954
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La
Atalaya was not the only townsite sacrificed to the mine. Earlier, the original location of
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The company then went on to build a public plaza, chapel, grocery store, casino, school, and a
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This open-pit mine in the western part of the Masa San
Dionisio was begun in 1907 after major
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394:(2006) on the official site of the Autonomous Andalusian Government. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
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The village of La
Atalaya was constructed for the subterranean mining of the San Dionisio
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Near the right of this image, in the fourth ring from the bottom, you can see an object.
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244:, a political-historical film about the Rio Tinto mines; and the science fiction film
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Tartessus, says they will have the mine operating again before the end of 2013.
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Emed Mining gestiona reapertura al turismo de Corta Atalaya en mina Riotinto
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age which has produced significant copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver.
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lay in the path of the mine; the town was moved to its present site.
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The following images help to give a sense of the scale of the mine.
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631:. On line at www.carlosatanes.com, site of director Carlos Atanes.
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Here, we zoom in, so the object can be made out a bit more easily.
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Remnants of the former village of Atalaya on the edge of the cut.
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Zooming in further, one can see that the object is an abandoned
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projected that production would resume by the end of 2010.
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CORTA ATALAYA - the westernmost mine in the Rio Tinto camp
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According to this source, the pit began in 1909, not 1907.
125:, which in 1907 became the Corta Atalaya open-pit mine.
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Guía de la Faja Pirítica Ibérica: Historia y Naturaleza
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Corta Atalaya the 1980s, before closure and inundation.
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368:, eleconomista.es, 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
254:, which used the mine as an otherworldly landscape.
719:Buildings and structures in the Province of Huelva
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261:course Club de Golf Atalaya has grass only on its
230:Two films have used the former mine as a locale:
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89:Corta Atalaya is a mine in western part of the
54:. At its peak it employed 2,000 workers mining
440:, Issue 101, 2001-09-02. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
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672:The Iberian Pyrite Belt: physical volcanology
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601:, www.emed-mining.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
579:, www.emed-mining.com. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
413:"Minas de Rio Tinto. 5.000 Años de Minería",
666:Clive Boulter (University of Southampton),
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240:and based on the novel of the same name by
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498:Guilbert, John and Charles F. Park, Jr.,
95:volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits
613:, onpictures.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
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519:23rd IAGS PRE-SYMPOSIUM FIELD TRIP 2007
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653:, official site. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
592:EMED Tartessus - Proyecto de Rio Tinto
434:La evolución de las minas de Riotinto
331:. (Click through for a larger image.)
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724:Geography of the Province of Huelva
545:. Alison Hodge Publishers. p.
489:, 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
458:. Alison Hodge Publishers. p.
625:, a "making of" documentary about
128:In 1873, Rio Tinto Company, later
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16:Open-pit mine in Andalusia, Spain
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570:EMED Mining - Projects in Spain
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500:The Geology of Ore Deposits,
487:EMED Mining Quarterly Report
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537:Charles E. Harvey (1981).
450:Charles E. Harvey (1981).
388:Minas de Riotinto - Huelva
286:Panorama of Corta Atalaya.
250:, written and directed by
93:. It is part of a zone of
597:23 September 2009 at the
649:21 December 2009 at the
524:4 September 2011 at the
611:El corazón de la tierra
420:. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
233:El corazón de la tierra
744:Surface mines in Spain
502:Freeman, 1986, p. 575
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575:21 March 2012 at the
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729:Iberian Pyritic Belt
695:37.70333°N 6.60278°W
644:Club de Golf Atalaya
40:autonomous community
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432:Beatriz Santacruz,
91:Iberian Pyrite Belt
700:37.70333; -6.60278
242:Juan Cobos Wilkins
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623:Made in "Proxima"
438:El Mundo Magazine
418:, Number 4 (1994)
205:Minas de Riotinto
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28:Minas de Riotinto
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22:is the largest
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24:open-pit mine
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20:Corta Atalaya
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698: /
257:The nearby
217:EMED Mining
171:Population
713:Categories
683:37°42′12″N
670:, part of
390:, part of
109:La Atalaya
71:subsidence
686:6°36′10″W
44:Andalusia
647:Archived
595:Archived
573:Archived
522:Archived
416:Bocamina
99:Silurian
32:province
628:Próxima
269:Gallery
247:Proxima
85:Geology
75:pyrites
30:in the
553:
506:
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189:1,009
186:1,238
183:1,105
180:1,472
177:1,272
56:copper
36:Huelva
337:Notes
166:1950
163:1940
160:1930
157:1920
154:1910
151:1900
148:1888
145:Year
48:Spain
551:ISBN
504:ISBN
464:ISBN
259:golf
192:662
174:823
123:seam
79:EMED
101:to
97:of
42:of
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
