Small companies have been the major developers of the mining business. They search for gold, gems, and other minerals. In the mining operations, the unwanted soil is thrown into the rivers. As a result, these rivers get progressively more shallow, harming the species that live in them and flooding the areas along them. The gold prospectors also pollute rivers with the mercury used to separate gold from the rock and sand. The Serra Pelada gold mine, in the State of Tocantins, is one of the worldΓÇÖs largest.
