Ferrarias (Cova dos Mouros) Mine, Vaqueiros, Alcoutim, Faro, Portugali

Regional Level Types
Ferrarias (Cova dos Mouros) Mine	Mine
Vaqueiros	Civil Parish
Alcoutim	Municipality
Faro	District
Portugal	Country

Ancient Cu mine.

Mining concession no. 249, registered on 02-09-1893.

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- Cova dos Mouros Mine history
The Ferrarias Mine extractive activity has ocurred on the second half of the XIX century having being required on 1868 by João Teixeira an authorization for a copper mine designated, at the time, by Cova do Mouros, on a reference to the ancient mining labor by Muslim people (Gomes 1874, Lima 1890).
Until about 1890 the labor was done on galleries along two veins (fissure areas filled with chalcopyrite) with a total length of 240m (Caeira) and 130m (Romeirosa), distributed among 5 floors situated on the quota(m) 162, 152, 137, 125 and 112, the last one is localized at about 90m deep.
Through the Malacate Shaft (Romeirosa) the exploration products were drained by the main transversal gallery.
Through the analysis of the available documentation we conclude that the Ferrarias Mine exploration had the attendance by the Manson & Barry engineers (São Domingos Mine representative) on 1930 was made an unsuccessful attempt to restart the mine activity on Cova dos Mouros (Lima 1930).
The mine is not open to public, because it is the refuge of an endangered species of bats.

- The prehistoric mining activity in the Algarve
The prehistoric mining activity in the interior Algarve dates back from about 2.500 years bC., which left this region with a rich variety of archaeological remains. In this context, one can find scoria and clinker remains, casting crucibles, moulds and copper artefacts such as axes, saws and chisels. From the Iron Age inscribed funerary gravestones have been found and tombs as well as two fortified "Villas" from the Roman occupation dating from the 1st century bC.
The Cova dos Mouros Mines are located in the parish of Vaqueiros, near a Chalcolithic settlement of Santa Justa, just 20 km from the ancient shipping port of Alcoutim.
The existing remains refer to copper mines with evidence of ancient exploration since Chalcolithic times to old prospecting works of the XIX century.
In this ancient mine nucleus the main shaft was identified with a depth of 30m, where copper ore with a NW-SE orientation was explored, integrated in a greywacke stone of the "Mértola Formation" geological unit. These hydrothermal mineralizations coincide with the axial zone of an anticline fold which crosses the region in the same orientation. In the proximity of this copper lode's system, there are several sites marked with remains of the Chalcolithic Period, necropolis from the Bronze age, from the Iron Age and Roman works. One of the most important archaeological aspects is the study of the evolution of metallurgical knowledge of primitive man. The studies are based on primitive furnaces where ore was smelted, and a furnace replica exists here at the "Cova dos Mouros" archaeological mining nucleous.

in "The Cova dos Mouros Mine Park" http://minacovamouros.sitepac.pt/

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