Ancient iron ore mine is found in Peru

[Judi Lynn]

Ancient iron ore mine is found in Peru
Posted : Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:20:46 GMT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 31 A Purdue University archaeologist has discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America, suggesting pre-Incan civilizations were mining the ore.

Purdue Assistant Professor Kevin Vaughn, who studies the Nasca civilization that existed from A.D. 1 to A.D. 750, said the newly discovered mine is the only hematite mine recorded in South America prior to the Spanish conquest. Hematite is a type of iron also known as ochre.

Vaughn said the discovery of the 2,000-year-old mine in the Ingenio Valley of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru demonstrates iron ores were important to ancient Andean civilizations.

Vaughn hypothesized the Nasca people used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints but might also have used it as a body or textiles paint or to paint adobe walls.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/181122,ancient-iron-ore-mine-is-found-in-peru.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Archaeologist 'strikes gold' with finds of ancient Nasca iron ore mine in Peru

January 29, 2008

Archaeologist 'strikes gold' with finds of ancient Nasca iron ore mine in Peru
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Kevin J. Vaughn

A Purdue University archaeologist discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America that shows how civilizations before the Inca Empire were mining this valuable ore.
"Archaeologists know people in the Old and New worlds have mined minerals for thousands and thousands of years," said Kevin J. Vaughn, an assistant professor of anthropology who studies the Nasca civilization, which existed from A.D. 1 to A.D. 750. "Iron mining in the Old World, specifically in Africa, goes back 40,000 years. And we know the ancient people in Mexico, Central America and North America were mining for various materials. There isn't much evidence for these types of mines.

"What we found is the only hematite mine, a type of iron also known as ochre, recorded in South America prior to the Spanish conquest. This discovery demonstrates that iron ores were important to ancient Andean civilizations."

In 2004 and 2005, Vaughn and his team excavated Mina Primavera, which is located in the Ingenio Valley of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru. The research team performed field checks and collected some samples in 2006 and 2007. The findings of the excavation are published in December's Journal of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

The researchers determined that the mine is a human-made cave that was first created around 2,000 years ago. An estimated 3,710 metric tons was extracted from the mine during more than 1,400 years of use. The mine, which is nearly 700 cubic meters, is in a cliffside facing a modern ochre mine.

Vaughn hypothesizes that the Nasca people used the red-pigmented mineral primarily for ceramic paints, but they also could have used it as body paint, to paint textiles and even to paint adobe walls. The Nasca civilization is known for hundreds of drawings in the Nasca Desert, which are known as the Nasca-Lines and can only be seen from the air, and for an aqueduct system that is still used today.

More:
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080129VaughnMine.html

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Psst. Want to see some photos of the Nazca Lines?

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/nazca_lines.htm

[Judi Lynn]

2. Discovery: Iron Ore Mine In Peru Pre-Dates Inca

Discovery: Iron Ore Mine In Peru Pre-Dates Inca
Submitted by News Account on 29 January 2008 - 11:23am. Archaeology

A Purdue University archaeologist discovered an intact ancient iron ore mine in South America that shows how civilizations before the Inca Empire were mining this valuable ore.

"Archaeologists know people in the Old and New worlds have mined minerals for thousands and thousands of years," said Kevin J. Vaughn, an assistant professor of anthropology who studies the Nasca civilization, which existed from A.D. 1 to A.D. 750. "Iron mining in the Old World, specifically in Africa, goes back 40,000 years. And we know the ancient people in Mexico, Central America and North America were mining for various materials. There isn't much evidence for these types of mines.

"What we found is the only hematite mine, a type of iron also known as ochre, recorded in South America prior to the Spanish conquest. This discovery demonstrates that iron ores were important to ancient Andean civilizations."

In 2004 and 2005, Vaughn and his team excavated Mina Primavera, which is located in the Ingenio Valley of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru. The research team performed field checks and collected some samples in 2006 and 2007. The findings of the excavation are published in December's Journal of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

More:
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/discovery_iron_ore_mine_in_peru_pre_dates_inca