Mina subterrânea de Sal-Gema de Loulé

Rocksalt Mine Tour - Mina Campina de Cima

Useful Information

Location:	Meeting point for the tour is Parque das Minas Sal-Gema de Loulé, Rua dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra. It is located at the eastern end of the road. (37° 8' 5.25" N, 8° 0' 27.80" W)
Open:	All year Mon-Sat 9:30, 11, 14:30, 16. [2020]
Fee:	Adults EUR 25, Children (6-12) 15, Children (0-5) not allowed, Loulé Residents EUR 15, Seniors (65+) EUR 20, Family (2+2) EUR 65. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 20, pre-booking mandatory. [2020]
Classification:	Salt Mine Room and Pillar Mining
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=45,000 m, T=23 °C.
Guided tours:	L=1,300 m, D=2 h.
Photography:	allowed, but respect the personal rights of guides and other visitors
Accessibility:	currently not wheelchair accessible, guide dogs not allowed
Bibliography:
Address:	Mina de Sal-Gema de Loulé, Rua dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra 80, 8100-545 Loulé, Tel: +351-925-969-369. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1950s	rock salt discovered during search for ground water.
1963	CLONA - Mineira de Sais Alcalinos SARL founded.
1964	Campina de Cima mine started with two shaft.
1979	acquired by the Grupo José de Mello.
1983	acquisition of the first continuous mining brushcutter.
1987	acquisition of the second continuous mining brushcutter.
1989	largest annual production of over 124,000 tons of rock salt, use of explosives abandoned.
1993	extraction tower for shaft 2 replaced.
1995	acquisition of the third continuous mining brushcutter, work in shifts is more efficient.
2000	automatic salt loading station for the elevators developed and built at the mine.
2005	Mine merged into QUIMIGAL SA owned by the CUF Group.
2007	production changed from chemical industry to animal feed and road safety in winter products.
AUG-2019	TechSalt S.A. takes over the exploration of the mine.
07-OCT-2019	mine opened to the public.

Description

The Mina subterrânea de Sal-Gema de Loulé (underground rock salt mine Loulé) is located below the town Loulé, where 230 m below the surface 230 Ma old rock salt is mined. Visitor descend to this level by a mine elevator with a capacity of seven people, which takes three minutes. Then they follow a walking trail through the abandoned parts of the working mine. The tour emphasizes on the geology, the cultural and financial importance of rock salt, and the mining technology. Comfortable clothes and walking shoes are recommended, the temperature is 23 °C, so there is no need for warm clothes. The chambers are vast, nevertheless people with claustrophobia are discouraged from visiting the mine. The vistors are equipped with a helmet with headlamp and a security vest.

The mine is actually named Mina Campina de Cima, and it is rather young. The salt was discovered when some farms at the eastern end of Loulé tried to find groundwater for raising cattle in the 1950s. Ground water was not discovered, but the salt deposit. After further exploration the mine was finally started in January 1964 with the construction of two shafts. This was done by miners from Mina de São Domingos. This mine was already on the verge of being closed, and so the miners were happy to find a new job. The two shafts were dug to a depth of 230 m into the rock salt, then they were connected by a horizontal passage, which allowed air flow and thus the ventilation of the mine. Now the mining of the salt in a traditional room and pillar way started.

The development of the mine boosted in the 1970s, when it was acquired by the Grupo José de Mello (José de Mello Group). They needed salt for the chemical industry, namely the companies Barreiro, Quimigal S.A., Estarreja, and Uniteca S.A.. As a result the mining activity increased.

Today, after more than 50 years of operation the mine has a total length of 45 kilometers, it is the largest underground space in Portugal open to the public. And the only one below sea level. The mine has always been an innovator, it was the first to adopt a new technology for their elevators, and the first who replaced electric trains with diesel machines. The big benefit is that they need no expensive installations like rails and electric wires, but the drawback is the poisonous exhaust of the diesel engines. These are drastically reduced through the use of highly efficient catalytic converters. In combination with the two shafts which provide air circulation, the mine has a very good air quality. They were also early adaptors of the explosive ANFO (ammonium nitrate + fuel oil) which is manufactured at the mine. This system is very cost effective. Nevertheless it was completely abandoned only a decade later when the acquisition of two continuous mining brushcutters made the use off explosives unnecessary. Today the salt is mined with three brushcutters in shifts.

In 2005 the chemical industry stopped their purchases of rock salt and the mine had to find new customers. Since then the mine produces mainly salt for animals and for the roads in winter. In 2019 the mine was taken over by the newly founded TechSalt SA. They started the show mine and plan to create a center for speleotherapy and wellness.