This is not abot Belize directly, but I found it interesting. The lost source of Mayan jade was found in Guatemala thanks to a hurricane...

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For half a century, scholars have searched in vain for the source of the jade that the early civilizations of the Americas prized above all else and fashioned into precious objects of worship, trade and adornment...
http://www.iht.com/articles/58656.html

interesting. i wonder how guatamala will handle this? it could make this tiny country much richer, or create havoc.

Hard to say at this point, but the article mentioned that the jade deposit might be as big as Burmas. Burma makes about 65 million a year exporting precious stones.

If Guatamala is able to capitilize on the find, likely only a small bit will trickle down to the average Joe. Must will likely end up in the hands of the government and foreign investors.

agreed. being that guatemala seems to be rediculously poor, i can easily see the gov't mishandle the whole thing, looking to get rich quick.

any info on the natural area itself? i wonder if they will blow it up or strip mine and mess up the environment while they are at it? since it is an ancient site, i assume there would be archeological artifacts galore there as well.

I couldn't find out much more on the Web. The jade seems to be near El Progresso near the center of Guatamala in the mountains. Infrastructure may be a big limiting factor to starting a mining operation there. It might be way too expensive to build the eletric lines and roads needed for a mining operation.