The territory of the Quadrilatero Ferrifero is mainly characterized by extraction, a principle that has historic roots in Brazil that go back to its discovery by the Europeans. These ‘rushes’, first of gold and diamonds, now of iron and steel have permanently reconfigured nature into artifact. Minas Gerais is one of the biggest iron ore deposits in the world.

Over centuries of man made changes, it is very hard to know what untouched nature here once looked like, as the extent of the transformation has been widespread and continuous. This study looks on how this seemingly infinite process impacting the current reality, and what different pieces make up this complex landscape puzzle. This study focuses on a stretch of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero that seems to collect several of these puzzle pieces, that are exemplifying what kind of transformation the practice of continuous ore extraction can and has had on settled and on virgin land, focusing closely on the relationship between settlement and mining.