Until recently, anyone looking for treasure in the Spanish regions of Galicia and Asturias would have been directed to the sea: the waters off the northeastern tip of the country are renowned for prized seafood.
However, interest, and controversy, has been growing over the riches on dry land. Buried but apparently ripe for extraction are some of the biggest untapped gold deposits in western Europe.
Edgewater Exploration and Astur Gold, two mining companies based in Vancouver, have invested millions of dollars with the aim of bringing these deposits into production. Edgewater acquired the rights to produce gold at a site called Corcoesto in Galicia in 2010, the same year that Astur Gold took control of the Salave deposit in Asturias. Together, the sites contain more than 2m ounces of gold on a measured and indicated basis but the amount that can be produced profitably will probably be much lower.