Património mineiro da Serra de Arga - Minho

O A Região da Serra d’Arga apresenta grande diversidade litológica, de depósitos minerais e mineralizações metálicas (Au, Ag, Sn, Nb-Ta, W, Zn, Li), razão pela qual tem sido palco de vários ciclos de aproveitamento extractivo. Destes subsistem diversos vestígios mineiros na paisagem, na organização do território e na memória colectiva das comunidades. O funcionamento mineiro passado revelou ainda um importante património natural - geológico e, bem assim, se expressa num conjunto diversificado de vestígios classificáveis como património cultural e industrial mineiro. Muito embora nesta região as evidências associadas ao aproveitamento de recursos minerais se reconheçam desde o Paleolítico, e ainda com grande incidência na época romana, este trabalho analisa vestígios relativos ao séc. XX, dos quais persistam referências documentais e testemunhos da vivência mineira. No estudo usaram-se métodos multidisciplinares de análise, obtendo: 1) a discriminação de indícios de depósitos filonianos explorados e da implantação das áreas intervencionadas e/ou do edificado; 2) a dispersão espacial de vestígios da actividade extractiva, segundo os principais períodos de intervenção (pela análise documental de arquivos e por inquérito sociológico). A sistemática efectuada e a organização segundo divisões geomineiras regionais permitiu deduzir, respectivamente, faixas e campos mineiros que sustentam uma adequada fundamentação para a avaliação do interesse patrimonial mineiro e geológico associado.The Serra d‘Arga Region is characterized by a great diversity of ore and industrial minerals deposits. The overall set of metallizations includes Au, Ag, Sn, Nb-Ta, W, Zn and Li. Owing to this metalliferous diversity and potentiality the region has been the target for several exploration cycles and mining activities since pre-historical times, which remnants are still very present not only in the traditions and cultural heritage of the local resident people, but also in a lot of material remarks, natural and antropic, and ancient sites where industrial mining heritage and some of its most peculiar remains and assets, are preserved. Evidences of mining activities date from Paleolithic times. Afterwards they were strongly diversified, in what concerns the remarks of Roman activities and some post Medieval-Age thecnologies. However, the main goal of the present study is the mine exploitation occurred during de XX century. The approach follows an analytical perspective dedicated to documental references of technical and administrative nature, which are remaining in state and private-companies archives and museums. The local people collective memoir was accessible through opinion survey, planned interviews and inquiries to ancient miners and some known old, still-living, members of the ancient mining population. The material assets remaining in site or preserved in museological context were also considered and studied using analytical geology and mining archaeology procedures. This multidisciplinary approach allowed: 1) the discrimination of the technological remains and geological exposures of the affected ore deposits as well as the systematics of the mining areas and its remaining edification remarks; 2) the description of space dispersion of the mining activities according to the main mining cycles (recognized in field after documental analysis and sociologic inquiries). This systematics, and the study of the regional geological and mining organization, allowed the definition of geological corridors favorable to mineral exploitation and related mining fields, which sustain an adequate background for the evaluation of mining potentialities and the regional value of natural and industrial-archaeological heritage