In the photos that illustrate this news article, you are certain to be curious, because they do not show typical sea, coconut palms or cajueiros, elements that compose a typical scene of a beach along the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. Also it is not for less. These dunes really are not along the sea shore, they are not formed by the wind loaded with sand grains and was not created by mother nature. They are mineral dunes, appeared in the sertão of the Seridó, created by man, in search of the abundant mineral potential in the region of the Seridó. Possibly they are the richest dunes of the entire Northeast. For they are the mineral residues and crystals of calcita, fluorita, quartz, mica, beryl, molibdenita, scheelita and silica.

The mineral dunes are the rejects of the mineralized rocks extracted from the depths of the hundreds of tunnels that cover the area of the mountain range of Santana, from the Brejuí Mines, and from which they removed the scheelita. They are the results of the residues of the two plants of britagem, milling and classification of the Tungsten ore (in Swedish it means heavy rock). .

Two immense mountains occupy areas of 31.800 square meters and 89,700 square meters, with volumes around 508.800 cubical meters and 1.435.200 cubical meters, respectively. These stacks of rejects weigh 814,080 and 2.296.320 tons, totalizing 3.110.400 tons. There exists, still, 1.500.000 tons of fine reject materials deposited nearby. The stacks of sand are between 16 to 20 meters in height.

They now are part of the tourist complex at the Brejuí Mine, an imperdível attraction for who visits to the trails of the Roteiro Seridó. The visit, that can setup in advance, must start in the two museums, the Thomas Salustino, that recounts the life and the workmanship of the Appeals court judge Thomas Salustino, its old meritorious proprietor and benefactor of the city of Currais Novos, and Mario Moacir Porto, which keeps and shows the products produced by the mine and mineral wealth found in the region. Later, a trip in the tunnel of the time and to see the great hall, still stuffed with scheelita in its walls. Also interesting is the visit to the church of Saint Tereza, to the side of the village of the miners is imperdível and, if the young girls are not in school, to attend a pastoral youth presentation. To finish the visit, the scaling to mineral dunes, covering in one trenzinho the "Schelitinha" and, upon arrival to the top to participate of the energização sessions. (To hear, click here).

It is considered the biggest scheelita mine in Latin America, it already was one of the biggest sources of exportation in Brazil and producer, per some decades, of the most important item of the economy of Rio Grande do Norte. During the World War II, the ore was the basic part in the introduction of new technologies of armament and aviation, but it lost the competitiveness in the international market and the State attended was astonished to the exodus and the unemployment of more than 2 000 workers in the mine. To have an idea of its grandeur, during the time where the Brejuí Mine was working it produced 25 million kilos of scheelita, what it would represent the generation today of US$ 150 million in profits for Brazil.

Situated in Currais Novos and 187 kilometers from Natal, the mine was discovered in 1943 and had as first concessionaire, the proprietor of the lands, Tomas Salustino Gomes de Melo, judge, appeals court judge, agriculturist and politician. But the Brejuí, under the vision of the doctor Carlos Dutra, president of the enterprise group, is becoming a new "point" of tourism, and already is recommencing its mineral production, on account of the valuation of its principal substance. The Mining Tomaz Salustino has kept contact with international groups for extraction of scheelita and other rare metals in its rich mineral dunes.

The tourist Complex of the Brejuí Mine can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 07h30 to 11h30 - 13h30 to 17h30 - and Saturday, Sunday and holidays between 08h00 to 11h30. Visits with previous reservations are through the telephones: (84) 3412-3141 / (84) 3431-1823.