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42-497: The municipality became one of the most populous cities of Latin America, counting on about 40,000 people in 1730 and, decades after, 80,000. At that time, the population of New York was less than half of that number of inhabitants and the population of São Paulo did not surpass 8,000. Officially, 800 tons of gold were sent to Portugal in the eighteenth century, not to mention what was circulated in an illegal manner, nor what remained in

84-430: A Mohs hardness of 2–2.25 parallel to the [001] face, 4 perpendicular to the [001] and a specific gravity of 2.76–3. It can be colorless or tinted through grays, violet or red, and can be transparent or translucent. It is anisotropic and has high birefringence . Its crystal system is monoclinic . The green, chromium -rich variety is called fuchsite ; mariposite is also a chromium-rich type of muscovite. Muscovite

126-465: A TOT-c structure. In other words, a crystal of muscovite consists of layers ( TOT ) bonded to each other by potassium cations ( c ). Each layer is composed of three sheets. The outer sheets ('T' or tetrahedral sheets) consist of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra and aluminium -oxygen tetrahedra, with three of the oxygen anions of each tetrahedron shared with neighboring tetrahedra to form a hexagonal sheet. The fourth oxygen anion in each tetrahedral sheet

168-552: A subtropical highland climate ( Cwb , according to the Köppen climate classification ), with warm and humid summers and mild, dry winters. Frost is occasional and occur in June and July. There is a report of snow in the city in the year of 1843. Although Ouro Preto now relies heavily on the tourism industry for part of its economy, there are important metallurgic and mining industries located in town, such as Novelis, formerly Alcan,

210-862: A city, receiving the title of "National Historic Heritage" from the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage . With the arrival of Juscelino Kubitschek to the state government and later to the Presidency of the Republic , many improvements were made in Diamantina, such as the foundation of the Federal School of Dentistry of Diamantina, the Hotel Tijuco, the Júlia Kubitschek State School and

252-406: A common souvenir among tourists, and can be found in many shops in the city's town centre and street fairs. Jewelry made of local precious and semi-precious gemstones (such as hematite) can also be found for sale. Ouro Preto is also a university town with an intense student life. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Federal University of Ouro Preto or UFOP) has approximately 10,000 students in

294-466: A gold-bearing stream was discovered in Itacolomi, which would be renamed Gualacho do Sul. In 1711, several small settlements were united as a municipality called Villa Rica, which later came to be called Ouro Preto. This name was adopted on 20 May 1823, when the former Vila Rica was elevated from village to city. The name "Black Gold" comes from the gold covered with a layer of iron oxide that is found in

336-522: A population similar to that of the prosperous São João del-Rei . In the 18th century it grew due to the large local production of diamonds, which were exploited by the Portuguese crown. It was initially known as Arraial do Tejuco (or Tijuco) (from the Tupi tyîuka, "rotten water"), Tejuco and Ybyty'ro'y (Tupi word meaning "cold mountain", by the junction of ybytyra ("mountain").) and ro'y ("cold"). During

378-733: Is twinned with: Diamantina also cooperates with Třeboň in the Czech Republic. Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica , isinglass , or potash mica ) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl 2 (Al Si 3 O 10 )( F ,O H ) 2 , or ( KF ) 2 ( Al 2 O 3 ) 3 ( SiO 2 ) 6 ( H 2 O ). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage yielding remarkably thin laminae (sheets) which are often highly elastic . Sheets of muscovite 5 meters × 3 meters (16.5 feet × 10 feet) have been found in Nellore , India . Muscovite has

420-476: Is 7,348 km and in 2006 the population was 80,063 inhabitants. The population density (2000) was 11.2 inhabitants/km . Before the arrival of Portuguese settlers, in the 16th century (the first reports give account of expeditions that went up the Jequitinhonha and São Francisco Rivers), Diamantina, like the entire region of the current state of Minas Gerais, was occupied by indigenous peoples of

462-435: Is Brazil's sixth largest industry. Diamantina, Minas Gerais Diamantina ( Portuguese pronunciation: [dʒiamɐ̃ˈtʃinɐ] ) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais . Its estimated population in 2020 was 47,825 in a total area of 3,870 km . Arraial do Tijuco (as Diamantina was first called) was built during the colonial era in the early 18th century. As its name suggests, Diamantina

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504-501: Is a major tourist destination, for its well-preserved colonial appearance with baroque architecture and cobblestone streets. The city contains numerous churches, many known for their religious art and baroque architecture. Some of the best known are: A number of former gold mines in the city offer tours to tourists. One of the most well known is the Mina do Chico Rei, near the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição. Another infamous mine

546-401: Is almost always much darker in color than muscovite. Paragonite can be difficult to distinguish from muscovite but is much less common, though it is likely mistaken for muscovite often enough that it may be more common that is generally appreciated. Muscovite mica from Brazil is red due to manganese(3+). Like all mica minerals, muscovite is a phyllosilicate (sheet silicate) mineral with

588-446: Is called an apical oxygen anion. There are three silicon cations for each aluminium cation but the arrangement of aluminium and silicon cations is largely disordered. The middle octahedral ( O ) sheet consists of aluminium cations that are each surrounded by six oxygen or hydroxide anions forming an octahedron, with the octahedrons sharing anions to form a hexagonal sheet similar to the tetrahedral sheets. The apical oxygen anions of

630-576: Is in demand for the manufacture of fireproofing and insulating materials and to some extent as a lubricant . The name muscovite comes from Muscovy-glass , a name given to the mineral in Elizabethan England due to its use in medieval Russia ( Muscovy ) as a cheaper alternative to glass in windows. This usage became widely known in England during the sixteenth century with its first mention appearing in letters by George Turberville ,

672-565: Is the Mina da passagem. In the early 19th century, Portugal gave the United Kingdom exclusive use of this mine for 100 years to pay Portugal's sovereign debts. This is the world's largest mine open to the public. The municipality contains about 10% of the 31,270 hectares (77,300 acres) Serra do Gandarela National Park , created in 2014. The street carnival in Ouro Preto attracts thousands of people every year. Carnival blocks are

714-414: Is the most common mica , found in granites , pegmatites , gneisses , and schists , and as a contact metamorphic rock or as a secondary mineral resulting from the alteration of topaz , feldspar , kyanite , etc. It is characteristic of peraluminous rock , in which the content of aluminum is relatively high. In pegmatites, it is often found in immense sheets that are commercially valuable. Muscovite

756-567: The Captaincy , in 1729, the then D. Lourenço de Almeida. Portugal's response was to impose full control over the diamond regions of Minas Gerais. In 1734, the Intendency of Diamonds was created, whose regime was totally controlling and authoritarian. The Portuguese Crown's monopoly over diamond deposits lasted until 1845. Diamantina emancipated itself from the municipality of Serro only in 1831, changing its name to Diamantina because of

798-579: The Macro-Jê languages . Diamantina was founded as Arraial do Tejuco in 1713, with the construction of a chapel that honored the patron Saint Anthony of Padua . The locality had strong growth when the Diamonds were discovered in 1729. At the end of the 18th century, it was the third largest population in the Captaincy General of Minas, behind the capital Vila Rica, today Ouro Preto , and with

840-444: The freshmen , also known as "bixos" (misspelling of "bichos", Portuguese for "animals"), have to undergo a hazing period, called batalha (battle), before being accepted permanently as residents of the houses. The final choice of the freshmen, called escolha , has to be unanimous among the senior students of the house. The Museu Mineralógico da Escola de Minas (Mineralogy Museum) can be of special interest to visitors. It belongs to

882-539: The 18th century, the city was famous for having sheltered Chica da Silva , a freed slave who was the wife of the richest man in Colonial Brazil , João Fernandes de Oliveira. Diamantina represented the largest mining of diamonds in the western world in the 18th century, and for nine years, the Portuguese Crown was not aware of the discovery of diamonds in the region, which was done by the governor of

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924-581: The Diamantina Sports Square. In 1999, it was elevated to the category of "heritage of humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . Diamantina is located 292 kilometers almost directly north of the state capital, Belo Horizonte , in a mountainous area. The elevation of the municipal seat is 1,114 meters. The Jequitinhonha River , one of Brazil's most important rivers, flows to

966-555: The UFOP's School of Mining, which opened its doors on 12 October 1876. The museum is located at the Tiradentes Square No. 20, in the town's historical center, and contains a rich assortment of minerals on display, including precious and semi-precious gemstones and large crystals . Security is tight, however (for example, no cameras are allowed), due to the incalculable value of the gemstones and ores on display. Ouro Preto

1008-581: The birthplace of the Inconfidência Mineira , a failed attempt to gain independence from Portugal . The leading figure, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier , known as Tiradentes, was hanged as a threat to any future revolutionaries. In 1876, the Escola de Minas (Mines School) was created. This school established the technological foundation for several of the mineral discoveries in Brazil. Ouro Preto

1050-419: The city. The city centre contains well-preserved Portuguese colonial architecture, with few signs of modern urban development. New construction must keep with the city's historical aesthetic. 18th- and 19th-century churches decorated with gold and the sculptured works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto a tourist destination. The tremendous wealth from gold mining in the 18th century created a city which attracted

1092-471: The city. Many of them live in communal houses that are somewhat similar to fraternity houses as found in North American colleges. These communal or shared houses are called repúblicas , 66 of which are owned by the university, called repúblicas federais , and 250 are privately owned ( repúblicas particulares ). The repúblicas system of Ouro Preto is unique in Brazil. No other university city in

1134-512: The colony, such as gold used in the ornamentation of the churches. Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are São João del-Rei , Diamantina , Mariana , Tiradentes , Congonhas and Sabará . Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (meaning Black Gold ) was originally called Vila Rica, or "Rich Village", the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule. Between 1695 and 1696,

1176-488: The country has exactly the same characteristics of the student lodgings found there. It shares traits with the repúblicas of the Portuguese University of Coimbra , where the tradition originated. Before universities were founded in Brazil, Coimbra was where most of the rich students who could afford an overseas education went to. Each república has its own different history. There are repúblicas in which

1218-746: The east of the municipal seat. Diamantina is linked to the state capital by federal highway BR-259 , by way of Curvelo . Diamantina Airport has regular flights to Belo Horizonte. The municipality contains the 16,999 hectares (42,010 acres) Biribiri State Park , created in 1998, which contains the historic village of Biribiri. Neighboring municipalities are: Olhos d'Água and Bocaiúva (N); Carbonita , Senador Modestino Gonçalves , São Gonçalo do Rio Preto , and Couto de Magalhaes de Minas (E); Santo Antônio do Itambé , Datas , Serro and Monjolos (S); Augusto de Lima , Buenópolis , and Engenheiro Navarro (W). The main economic activities are tourism, services, small industry and agriculture. The GDP in 2005

1260-414: The hydroxide. Muscovite in which the mole fraction of silicon is greater than aluminium, and magnesium or iron replaces some of the aluminium to maintain charge balance, is called phengite . Muscovite can be cleaved into very thin transparent sheets that can substitute for glass, particularly for high-temperature applications such as industrial furnace or oven windows. It is also used in the manufacture of

1302-434: The intelligentsia of Europe. Philosophy and art flourished, and evidence of a baroque revival called the "Barroco Mineiro" is illustrated in architecture as well as by sculptors such as Aleijadinho, painters such as Manoel da Costa Ataíde , composers such as Lobo de Mesquita , and poets such as Tomás António Gonzaga . At that time, Vila Rica was the largest city in Brazil, with 100,000 inhabitants. In 1789, Ouro Preto became

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1344-582: The large volume of diamonds found in the region. The delay was due to the need for greater local control by the colonial authorities, since in the mid-18th century the population was larger than that of Vila do Príncipe do Serro Frio, head of the region. Life in Diamantina at the end of the 19th century was portrayed by Alice Brant in her book Minha Vida de Menina , which became a landmark in Brazilian literature after being rediscovered by Elizabeth Bishop . In 1938, Diamantina celebrated its 100th anniversary as

1386-446: The most important aluminum factory in the country, Vale S.A. , and others. Main economic activities are tourism, transformation industries, and mineral riches such as deposits of iron , bauxite , manganese , talc and marble . Minerals of note in the city are: gold , hematite , dolomite , tourmaline , pyrite , muscovite , topaz and imperial topaz, which is a stone only found in Ouro Preto. Soapstone handicraft items are

1428-484: The most traditional type of parade, where bands play across the town, followed by herds of paraders dressed up in costumes. The block Zé Pereira dos Lacaios , founded in 1867, is the oldest block that is still active in Brazil. Parades with samba schools also happen. The street party is also celebrated in neighbouring towns such as Mariana. Ouro Preto was a setting in the comedy movie Moon over Parador (1988), with actors Richard Dreyfuss and Sonia Braga . Mining

1470-438: The octahedral sheet; fluorine or chlorine can substitute for hydroxide; and the ratio of aluminium to silicon in the tetrahedral sheets can change to maintain charge balance where necessary (as when magnesium cations, with a charge of +2, substitute for aluminium ions, with a charge of +3). Up to 10% of the potassium may be replaced by sodium, and up to 20% of the hydroxide by fluorine. Chlorine rarely replaces more than 1% of

1512-404: The outer T sheets face inwards and are shared by the octahedral sheet, binding the sheets firmly together. The relatively strong binding between oxygen anions and aluminium and silicon cations within a layer, compared with the weaker binding of potassium cations between layers, gives muscovite its perfect basal cleavage. In muscovite, alternate layers are slightly offset from each other, so that

1554-579: The secretary of England's ambassador to the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible , in 1568. Micas are distinguished from other minerals by their pseudohexagonal crystal shape and their perfect cleavage, which allows the crystals to be pulled apart into very thin elastic sheets. Pyrophyllite , and talc are softer than micas and have a greasy feel, while chlorite is green in color and its cleavage sheets are inelastic. The other common mica mineral, biotite ,

1596-476: The structure repeats every two layers. This is called the 1 M polytype of the general mica structure. The formula for muscovite is typically given as KAl 2 (AlSi 3 O 10 )(OH) 2 , but it is common for small amounts of other elements to substitute for the main constituents. Alkali metals such as sodium , rubidium , and caesium substitute for potassium; magnesium , iron , lithium , chromium , titanium , or vanadium can substitute for aluminium in

1638-830: Was Poços de Caldas with 0.841, while the lowest was Setubinha with 0.568. Nationally the highest was São Caetano do Sul in São Paulo with 0.919, while the lowest was Setubinha. In more recent statistics (considering 5,507 municipalities) Manari in the state of Pernambuco has the lowest rating in the country—0,467—putting it in last place. There were 2 hospitals and 31 health clinics in 2005. Educational needs were met by 30 primary schools and 9 middle schools. There were 3 institutions of higher learning: Faculdade de Ciências Jurídicas de Diamantina - FCJ (a law school), Faculdade de Filosofia e Letras de Diamantina - FAFIDIA (humanities), and Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM (federal public). Diamantina

1680-417: Was R$ 184 million, with 140 million coming from services, 23 million from industry, and 8 million from agriculture. In 2006 there were 1,248 rural producers on 73,000 hectares of land. Only 24 of the establishments had tractors. There were 14,000 head of cattle. The social indicators rank Diamantina in the top tier of municipalities in the state. The highest ranking municipality in Minas Gerais in 2000

1722-593: Was a center of diamond mining in the 18th and 19th centuries. A well-preserved example of Brazilian Baroque architecture , Diamantina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are Ouro Preto , São João del-Rei , Mariana , Tiradentes , Congonhas and Sabará . Diamantina is a statistical micro-region that includes the following municipalities: Diamantina, Datas , Felício dos Santos , Gouveia , Presidente Kubitschek , São Gonçalo do Rio Preto , Senador Modestino Gonçalves , and Couto de Magalhães de Minas . The area of this region

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1764-412: Was the capital of Minas Gerais from 1720 until 1897, when the needs of government outgrew this town in the valley. The state government was moved to the new, planned city of Belo Horizonte . Population : Data from the 2010 Census ( IBGE ) The city is linked by unlit winding roads to highways for: Bordering municipalities are: Located at 1,179 m (3,868 ft) above sea level, Ouro Preto has

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