ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment

Illegal gold mining happening in plain sight on an Amazon river

A horrifying view of 300 illegal rafts mining the Madeira River.

Paula FerreirabyPaula Ferreira
December 2, 2021
in Environment, Environmental Issues, Pollution, World Problems
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

Illegal mining in the Amazon is a growing threat to local communities, but it’s continuing to grow and expand, posing a threat not just to the environment but to people’s health as well. A few days ago, a rumour that gold was found in the Madeira river in the south of the Amazon rainforest sent would-be miners into a frenzy, with hundreds of rafts being spotted on the lake.

After a rather slow crackdown, the operations have now been stopped, but many fear miners are still active, but are now more careful about hiding.

Map of the Amazon Basin with the Madeira River highlighted.

The Madeira River is the biggest tributary of the Amazon river, the biggest in the world. Madeira alone contains40% of the fish species of all the Amazon basin, including several endemic species such as the Bolivian river dolphin. It’s 3,250 km (2,020 mi), during the rainy season its depth can reach 180 m (590 ft).

Fifteen days ago, around 300 hundred dredging rafts moved to the river due to the gold rumor. The activity is obviously illegal in such an important region of the Amazon basin — but that did little to stop miners.

Hundreds of illegal miners are dredging for gold along the Madeira River in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, as state and federal authorities dispute who is responsible for stopping them https://t.co/gLpMviEbsc pic.twitter.com/UmPqpKY77e

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 25, 2021

Hundreds of barges of illegal gold miners are navigating along the Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon, and researchers say they pose an environmental threat. The toxic mercury miners use to separate gold from sediment ends up in the river. https://t.co/DvmFKCoyiF

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 27, 2021

The rafts appeared together in lines and placed themselves in plain sight as if nothing out of normal was happening. The rafts are equipped with pumps to suck the riverbed to find gold. Then, to make things worse, miners use toxic substances made of mercury to separate the gold from sand and other rocky material. The remains of the separation are then discarded in the river itself.

This situation is an environmental disaster waiting to happen, but the Brazilian government only started preparing on November 25, well after the presence of the rafts was clear. As the government made it a public statement it made most of the miners leave the area, until finally on November 27 the remaining rafts were burned down by the Federal Police.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Greenpeace Brasil (@greenpeacebrasil)

Not so long ago, in 2018, scientists were ‘celebrating’ the decline of mining in the river. They published a paper discussing mercury pollution and attributed the concentration levels to be mostly from the ’80s when the activity was intense in the region.

RelatedPosts

Careful design and placement of wind turbines can minimize the threat to birds
People find robots that make mistakes more likable, more intelligent
Making walls talk – new technique extracts audio from video
Scientists can tell whether you’re naughty or nice – with a simple brain scan

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for the consumer to know where the materials used to make jewels come from. If it is connected to illegal mining it comes with human rights risks and environmental impacts. Some of the ecological impacts stated by scientists include the loss of land and natural vegetation, air pollution from the vehicles used, and noise pollution.

ShareTweetShare
Paula Ferreira

Paula Ferreira

Paula is a meteorologist who is now a PhD student in Physics. You will notice that her posts are mainly about cosmology, astronomy and atmospheric science.

Related Posts

Animals

Scientists Map the DNA of a Creature No One’s Seen in Years

byTudor Tarita
12 hours ago
History

AI Would Obliterate the Enigma Code in Minutes—Here’s Why That Matters Today

byTudor Tarita
13 hours ago
News

CERN Creates Gold from Lead and There’s No Magic, Just Physics

byMihai Andrei
2 days ago
Future

A New AI Tool Can Recreate Your Face Using Nothing But Your DNA

byTibi Puiu
2 days ago

Recent news

Scientists Map the DNA of a Creature No One’s Seen in Years

May 11, 2025

AI Would Obliterate the Enigma Code in Minutes—Here’s Why That Matters Today

May 11, 2025

CERN Creates Gold from Lead and There’s No Magic, Just Physics

May 9, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.