image: New GSA Special Paper 467, "Mining and Metallurgy in Ancient Peru," is a translation of a 1970 publication by Georg Petersen. Translator William E. Brooks notes that many of the ancient Andean mining and metallurgical techniques described in this book precede those known in Europe. view more
Credit: The Geological Society of America
Boulder, CO, USA - In 2009, Perú was the world's leading producer of silver, the second leading producer of copper, and the leading producer of gold in Latin America. But this isn't something new. Perú's leadership in mining and metallurgy extends for centuries into the past. This Special Paper from The Geological Society of America documents the use in ancient Perú of minerals, metals, and mineral resources for pigments, industrial stone, aesthetics, and art.
The GSA volume is a translation of a 1970 publication by the Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, in Lima, Perú, written by Georg Petersen. Translator William E. Brooks notes that many of the ancient Andean mining and metallurgical techniques described in this book precede those known in Europe.
The volume also provides forward-thinking analytical data on metals, artifacts, and alloys. A detailed pyrite mirror, featured on book's cover, symbolizes the spectacular workmanship and blending of utilitarian craft and mineral resources in ancient Perú.
Chapters cover minerals, gems, and pigments; ornamental and industrial stone; specific occurrences of gold, silver, copper, iron, mercury, tin, lead, and platinum in Perú, Bolivia, and Colombia; gold, silver, copper, and mercury metallurgy; Inca mining from 1533 to 1534 in the Altiplano, as documented by the Spanish explorers; and even a forensic description of the Chuquicamata Mummy, the remains of an ancient copper miner killed during an earthquake.
Individual copies of the volume may be purchased through the Geological Society of America online bookstore, http://rock.geosociety.org/Bookstore/default.asp?oID=0&catID=9&pID=SPE467, or by contacting GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Book editors of earth science journals/publications may request a review copy by contacting Jeanette Hammann, jhammann@geosociety.org.
Mining and Metallurgy in Ancient Perú
by Georg Petersen G., translated by William E. Brooks
Geological Society of America Special Paper 467
SPE467, 90 p., $40.00, GSA Member price $28.00
ISBN 978-0-8137-2467-6