Colombia's Emerald Belt | Muzo

Colombian 'Emerald Belt' (Cinturon Esmeraldífero) is a sedimentary basin of the Cordillera Occidental/Oriental mountain range in the Gobernación de Boyacá and Cundinamarca districts, at the base of the Andes mountains.

This area is famous for the prized Colombian Muzo emeralds from the Coscuez mines to the north-west, and Muzo mines (center of satellite image - under cloud cover). The mines were rediscovered in the early 1800s, and have produced some of the finest "Muzo Green" emeralds in the world.