400,000 tons of talc are extracted each year in the Luzenac quarry, in Ariège. This “white gold” is made into paints, ceramics or cosmetics.
Behind the Pyrenean peaks, at 1,700 meters above sea level, you can find the largest talc quarry in the world. A huge white circus, exploited in Ariège, in the open air, for more than a century. An exceptional deposit, renowned for its quantity and the purity of this natural ore, with special properties. “What characterizes talc is that it is the softest mineral on earth“, says Lilian Fernandez, site production manager. To extract this white gold, high-powered diggers work from April to October. During the winter, the talc merges with the snow and can no longer be exploited.
What environmental impact?
Each year, the site produces 400,000 tonnes of talc, or 10% of world production. But with what environmental impact? An investigation, opened by the Foix public prosecutor’s office, is underway on the quality of the water downstream from the site. Three nature protection associations have filed a complaint, denouncing pollution after heavy rains. The company, for its part, ensures that it is working on the creation of new settling ponds. It must be said that the industrial outlets offered by talc are considerable. In addition to paper and cosmetics, it is present in our tires and the plastic parts of our cars.
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