Archaeological Gold Mining Structures from Colonial Period Present in Guarulhos and Mairipora, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Archaeological gold mining structures from the Brazilian colonial period are present in Guarulhos and Mairipora municipalities, Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. These structures are represented by dams, tanks, paved and unpaved channels, water ducts, drains, gold mining fronts and benches, gravel refuse piles, stone walls, places to wash and seek gold, and remains of a water-powered iron engine, which have great archaeological, geological, and historical values, covering an area of several square kilometres. Gold was essentially mined in alluvial, colluvial, eluvial, and saprolitic material associated with rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Serra do Itaberaba Group that corresponds to a metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary sequence that outcrops in the central part of the Ribeira fold belt. Some structures are also associated with Neogene alluvial fan conglomerates and proximal alluvial fan mudstones of the Resende Formation within the Taubate Group, denoting geological reworking processes of Mesoproterozoic gold. Gold mining archaeological structures from the municipality of Guarulhos are going to be preserved within the scope of the Gold Cycle Geopark that covers an area of 16,900 ha, which was created by Guarulhos' Municipal Decree No. 25974 of 16 Dec 2008, presently being implemented. However, resources must be obtained in order to recover structures, as well as to promote the construction of visiting frameworks in the places where these structures are present.