British-based international mining company Rio Tinto has donated its Irish geological archive to the Geological Survey of Ireland.
The company carried out exploration activities in Ireland for more than 30 years up to the mid-1990s and built up a large arhive of information including data from the Keel lead-zinc deposit in Longford and the Kilmacoo gold deposit in Wicklow.
Communications, Marine & Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey welcomed the donation, describing the information as a 'treasure trove'. He said it would be made available to all once it was catalogued and archived properly.
The Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) is the national geoscience agency, and holds information on Irish geology and mineral deposits.
