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The Illegal Brazilian Gold You May Be Wearing.. Bbc News


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Great story on illegal gold mining.. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-latin-america-60236777

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Been there, seen it first hand... but from the miner's perspective. In a short amount of time they can move an entire mountain. It's complete chaos. Some garimpeiros are solo or operate in small teams with detectors. But most work for bigger outfits. Claims are protected with lethal force.

I think it's possible foreign countries could be driving some of this illegal mining since the gold reserves in Brazil rival some in certain African countries. And once you get away from the cities the country is much less policed. I remember a few times on my trip down there where I felt "on my own" and in a foreign country that is not a good feeling!

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On 2/3/2022 at 1:22 PM, tboykin said:

Estive lá, vi em primeira mão... mas do ponto de vista do mineiro. Em um curto espaço de tempo, eles podem mover uma montanha inteira. É um caos completo. Alguns garimpeiros estão sozinhos ou operam em pequenas equipes com detectores. Mas a maioria funciona para roupas maiores. As reivindicações são protegidas com força letal.

Eu acho que é possível que países estrangeiros possam estar conduzindo parte dessa mineração ilegal, já que as reservas de ouro no Brasil rivalizam com algumas em alguns países africanos. E uma vez que você foge das cidades, o país é muito menos policiado. Lembro-me de algumas vezes na minha viagem para lá em que me senti "sozinha" e num país estrangeiro que não é uma sensação 

please don't overdo it. when you were in Uruaçu Goias testing the whites detectors. Do you ever feel in danger?

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On 2/3/2022 at 3:40 PM, fabricio gm said:

please don't overdo it. when you were in Uruaçu Goias testing the whites detectors. Do you ever feel in danger?

Only once! Mostly I made good friends and ate great food. And got challenged to drink a very strong spirit made from fermented peppers.

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I dont believe the statements that they will trace the gold back to its source is possible with any degree of accuracy. Even in a single vein system the gold is so highly variable that pinpointing source has low statistical precision. Added to this different efficiency of small scale smelting and refining processes and leaching of placer in the environment and you will be able to tell it is, well, gold.

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