La explotación de áridos en el valle de Tafí

algunos aspectos de la gestión minera (provincia de Tucumán, Argentina)

Abstract

“The mining exploitation of aggregate material in the Tafí valley: a management perspective (province of Tucumán, Argentina)”. This paper deals about the supply of sand and gravel material in the Tafí Valley (Tafí del Valle), a place with an important tourist land use, and urban development, from a mining management perspective, with some comments and proposal for improvements. Quarry mining provide good quality material. On one side, there is a strong demand of the product, but on the other, mining sites are scarce in the surroundings, due to diminishing of solid discharge in the rivers, resulting from insufficient precipitation. Therefore, there is a strong competence among miners, for getting the right places for mining. An overview is given, to show how mining is being carry out in a place characterized by archaeological sites spread all over the valley, that should be preserved, within an vulnerable environment. Besides, the situation of bringing the material from other places is mentioned, such as: the Santa María valley, and eastern Tucumán footslope, or plain. Mainly, the distance concerned, access road, road maintenance, and product cost incidence. Therefore, should be taken special care, both in selecting new mining sites, and in the environmental mining management. We do the following suggestions for improving the management:

• – Sand mining from the northern and southwestern border of La Angostura dam, along the Tafí and El Mollar rivers outlet, respectively.
• – Carry out more exploitations along de La Puerta, El Chorro, and Tafí rivers, considering fluvial basin surveys for their management.
• – Installation of a “crushing plant” in the valley, to make the most of bigger aggregate sizes, now discarded during the production process. Moreover, the implementation of mineral benefit processes for sand production should be considered.