Introduction

Throughout the last 100 years, mining activities in Puerto Rico have been sporadic and primarily limited to the extraction of minerals that were deemed viable at the time.

History of Mining in Puerto Rico

Although the island is rich in natural resources, large-scale commercial mining has largely been abandoned due to both environmental concerns and practical limitations. During the era of Spanish colonial rule (1898-1899), gold mining was conducted in several rivers, but these operations were not significant sources of gold production.

Efforts and Abandonments

In the 1980s, there was an attempt to mine copper from the mountains in the interior of the island. However, this project faced intense opposition from environmental groups due to the potential for environmental damage. Advocates argued that open-pit mining would disrupt the fragile ecosystem and could lead to long-term environmental degradation. Eventually, these efforts were abandoned.

A more recent exploration involved the search for oil reserves in the waters south of Puerto Rico. The United States government conducted studies to assess the potential for commercial oil production, but the findings indicated that the oil deposits were too small to make exploitation economically feasible. As a result, no oil extraction activities have been pursued to this day, contrary to conspiracy theories suggesting otherwise.

Current Mining Activities

Today, the vast majority of mining activity in Puerto Rico is focused on the extraction of construction materials. Gravel, aggregates, and cement are commonly extracted from various quarries across the island. One notable quarry in Juana Díaz, located in the southern part of Puerto Rico, is particularly noteworthy for its marble extraction. This marble is widely used in flooring, wall coverings, and artistic applications, though it is not suitable for structural purposes due to its brittleness.

In addition to marble, the same quarry in Juana Díaz also supplies raw materials such as calcium carbonate in powdered form to the AES coal-fired power plant in Guayama and to cement manufacturers. Similarly, the location of Juana Díaz had a manganese ore mining operation that was active during the first decades of the 20th century. However, surface reserves have since been depleted, and no new mining operations have resumed.

Conclusion

While Puerto Rico has had a history of mining, particularly during the colonial period and in the 1980s, the island has since adopted a more cautious approach to resource extraction. Environmental concerns and the practical challenges of large-scale mining have led to a focus on more sustainable and less impactful activities. The current mining activities are primarily for construction materials, reflecting a balance between economic needs and environmental stewardship.