Illegal mining has become one of the major environmental problems in Brazil, due to its destructive potential for Brazilian biomes, in addition to social impacts. Therefore, many studies and researches are done in order to combat this practice. For example, there is the 'Gold Rush' which is a gold origin recognition program to map illegal mining. Understand more in this article.
Get to know the 'Gold Rush' project, which fights illegal mining
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The ‘Gold Rush’ was created by researchers and professors from the geology course at the University of Brasília (UnB). The project consists of applying geochemical and isotopic tools to be able to recognize the origin of the gold sold in Brazil. Thus, the objective is to recognize and map contraband.
For this, it is necessary to find what the researchers call the “digital signature” of gold, capable of saying where the metal was extracted from. This requires taking samples from mining sites, which researchers have already done in Mato Grosso and also in Amapá. Afterwards, they will have to go to the Yanomami territory, in Roraima.
Due to the potential of the program, the project stood out and obtained funding from the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education, the MEC.
The investment will come from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Capes. Through funding, it will be possible to proceed with sample collection.
Sampling in the Yanomami territory
According to the project schedule, shortly after sampling in Mato Grosso and Amapá, the objective was to collect samples in Pará.
However, the humanitarian urgency in the Yanomami territory made the guidelines change and the researchers left for Roraima. This decision comes after conversation with agents of the Federal police.
Therefore, the group's objective now is to contribute to the investigation of the map of illegal gold in Brazil that comes from Yanomami land. This territory was international news due to the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the illegal action of miners.
It is believed that the group's help will be essential to recognize the actions of criminals in that region.
