Borralha Mines, Salto, Montalegre, Vila Real, Portugali

Regional Level Types
Borralha Mines	Mine (Abandoned)
Salto	Civil Parish
Montalegre	Municipality
Vila Real	District
Portugal	Country

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Tungsten mine (1903-1985), closed in 1986.

At the contact zone between Silurian metasediments and syntectonic Infra-Westphalian granite.

Vertical and subhorizontal quartz veins, associated with two later conical collapse breccias, cemented by quartz.

The Borralha W ± Sn, Cu, Mo, Bi deposit mined several sub-vertical to sub-horizontal WNW-ESE to WSW-ENE W-rich quartz veins and two breccia pipe structures, Santa Helena and Venise. Out of the two reported breccia pipe structures, the Santa Helena is the most studied and the only one that crops out. It shows a conical-elliptical shape, conforming a sub-vertical N-S trending structure of 575 m in length, over 200 m in height and 150 m in width. The breccia is composed of angular clasts of variable size (from metric to centimetric) of the surrounding granitic and metasedimentary rocks hosting subcentimetric wolframite and scheelite grains, supported by a quartz-rich matrix with larger wolframite crystals.

Three mineralization episodes (330-290°C / Pmax = 1000-650 bars):
1) Tungstates precipitation (10 % eq NaCl, with HCO3-)
2) Main sulfide precipitation (molybdenite, arsenopyrite, bismuthinite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite, etc.)
3) Hydrothermal alteration: Pyrrhotite → pyrite/marcasite ; precipitation of bismuth, galena and various sulfosalts : Cu-Bi-Pb, Pb-Bi-Ag, Ag-Bi, Cu-Bi

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Brief history of the Borralha mines

The Borralha mines were the main mining center in Portugal for the exploration of tungsten. Mining operations began in 1902 and ended in 1986. The total tungsten production reached around 18,500 tons. There were two periods of suspension: 1944/46 and 1958/62.

Many families from different regions, mainly from Minho, came to the village of Salto to work in the mines. All these families were provided with housing, water, and electricity. In the municipality of Montalegre, this was a different, industrial village that developed with the creation of various infrastructure necessary for the size of the company: washing facilities, smelting, refining, workshops, warehouses, carpentry, crushers, stockwerk, etc.

Different neighborhoods were built to accommodate approximately 5,000 people: Bairro Novo, Pedrinha, da Guarda, Ladeira do Vale, Bairro dos Engenheiros, Lavaria Nova, Trincheira, and Quartos Novos.

There was also necessary support for the development of the local community, including schools, police, post office, medical center, offices, canteen, cinema, etc.

The name of these mines originated from Domingos Borralha, son of the miller who settled there by the river and went to work in the mines of Coelhoso, Bragança, at the beginning of the 20th century. Later, he informed his French employers about the location of his hometown, which had many of these "black stones."

After several years of abandonment, the Montalegre Municipal Council invested and did not let the people or that heritage be abandoned. They started by acquiring the houses and offering them to the residents, and now they have acquired all the buildings. They submitted an application that was co-funded by EU funds and are restoring the entire heritage: the compressor building, the smelting facility, the office, the pension house, the cinema, the group D, etc.

The Mining Interpretation Center opened to the public on July 10, 2015.

Adapted from https://jf-salto.pt/noticia-individual.php?publicacao_id=17

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Breve história das minas da Borralha

As minas da Borralha foram o principal centro mineiro de Portugal de exploração de volfrâmio. A exploração das minas iniciou-se em 1902 e terminou em 1986. A produção global de volfrâmio rondou as 18.500 toneladas. Teve dois períodos de paragem: 1944/46 e 1958/62.

Para esta aldeia de Salto vieram muitas famílias de diversas regiões para trabalhar nas minas, sendo a grande parte do Minho. A todas essas famílias era oferecida casa, água e energia eléctrica. No concelho de Montalegre esta era uma aldeia diferente, industrial, que se desenvolveu com a criação de diversas infraestruturas necessárias à dimensão da empresa: lavarias, fundição, afinagem, oficinas, armazéns, carpintaria, britadores, stockwerk, ...

Foram construídos bairros, todos com características diferentes, para albergar cerca de 5.000 pessoas: Bairro Novo, Pedrinha, da Guarda, Ladeira do Vale, Bairro dos Engenheiros, Lavaria Nova, Trincheira e Quartos Novos.

Havia também o necessário apoio ao desenvolvimento da comunidade local: escolas, GNR, correios, posto médico, escritórios, cantina, cinema, ...

O nome destas minas teve origem em Domingos Borralha, filho do moleiro ali instalado junto ao rio e que foi trabalhar para as minas de Coelhoso, Bragança, no início do séc. XX. Posteriormente ele indicou aos patrões franceses onde ficava a sua terra que tinha muitas dessas "pedras negras".

Depois de vários anos de abandono, a Câmara Municipal de Montalegre investiu e não deixou nem aquela gente nem aquele património abandonados. Começou por adquirir as casas e ofereceu-as aos seus habitantes; agora, adquiriu todos os edifícios. Apresentou uma candidatura que foi comparticipada por fundos comunitários e está a recuperar todo o património: O edifício dos compressores, a fundição, o escritório, a pensão, o cinema, o grupo D, …

O Centro Interpretativo das Minas abriu portas ao público no dia 10 de Julho de 2015.

Adaptado de https://jf-salto.pt/noticia-individual.php?publicacao_id=17

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

39 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded