Gold Rush Tears Up a Patch of the Amazon
‘Drawn by a Brazilian math teacher’s Web site descriptions of miners scooping up thousands of dollars in gold, between 3,000 and 10,000 people have poured in since December, cutting down huge trees, diverting streams and digging ever-deeper wildcat mines, in an area that only months ago was pristine rain forest. [..]
“This is even better than Serra Pelada. I’ve been mining all around the Amazon since 1978 and this is the best I’ve ever seen,” said Joao Leandro de Azedo, 70, overlooking his stake from a hammock.
Azedo said he has panned some 70 ounces of gold worth a total of $19,000 since arriving 17 days ago, including 17 ounces in a single day.’
