ABSTRACT
The Pyrenees range is a west-to-east-oriented mountain chain that geographically separates France and Spain in southwest Europe. During the Cretaceous and then Tertiary Periods, present-day Spain, part of the European-Asian continental plate, began pushing into France and northern Europe. As part of a broader economic expansion, the governments of France and Spain were making major improvements to the road network. Additionally, France and Spain formed a partnership to build a new railway tunnel proposed to link major freight systems between Bordeaux, France, and Madrid, Spain. After yielding only small amounts of gold, silver, and other precious metals, mining for such metals has slowed since the mid-twentieth century, but it still has impacted the environmental health of the region. The French and Spanish governments made cleanup efforts in the last decade as current landowners were not held liable for the damage caused by the previous mine owners.
