Dusky red latosol
Thassiannira Araujo Sousa

extract, pursuit, rebuild
disproportionate, reddish, dirty
extractivism, postcolonial environments, family ties

The unburnt clay bars, engraved with the mark ‘999,9 Fine Gold’, embody the experience of being amidst a crater in an artisanal gold mining camp within the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The high iron oxide content in the soil gives the landscape a distinct reddish tint, which is particularly noticeable in areas where deforestation has occurred. The fertility of the latosol soil depends completely on the rainforest. When the forest is cut down, all the nutrients in the soil are quickly depleated and the layer of humus stops getting renewed. This crimson soil of little worth is where the gold miners find gold.