Great Flat Lode Trail
Encyclopedia
The Great Flat Lode Trail is a 12 km (7.5 mi) long circular trail around Carn Brea
50.22179°N 5.24673°W in west Cornwall
, England
, United Kingdom
, and is one of Cornwall's Mineral Tramway Trails
.
The Great Flat Lode is a huge mineral
-bearing body located to the south of Carn Brea in West Cornwall. It gains its name from its unusually small gradient
of about 10 degree
s to the horizontal
. Normally lode
s lie at between 60 and 90 degrees to the horizontal. "Lode" is a Cornish mining
term for a mineral vein
. Its small gradient allowed for optimal location of the mine
s. Its discovery in c.1870 was a huge boost to the Cornish mining industry
which was in decline at the time. Many of the mines amalgamated and continued production until the First World War.
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
50.22179°N 5.24673°W in west Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and is one of Cornwall's Mineral Tramway Trails
Mineral Tramway Trails
The mineral tramways trails are a series of trails located in mid west Cornwall, The trails are as follows:-Current trails:The Coast to Coast trail 17.5 kmFrom Devoran to Portreath following disused tramwaysThe Great Flat Lode trail 12 km...
.
The Great Flat Lode is a huge mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
-bearing body located to the south of Carn Brea in West Cornwall. It gains its name from its unusually small gradient
Gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field that points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change....
of about 10 degree
Degree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
s to the horizontal
Horizontal plane
In geometry, physics, astronomy, geography, and related sciences, a plane is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is perpendicular to the gradient of the gravity field at that point— in other words, if apparent gravity makes a plumb bob hang perpendicular to the plane at that point.In...
. Normally lode
Lode
In geology, a lode is a deposit of metalliferous ore that fills or is embedded in a fissure in a rock formation or a vein of ore that is deposited or embedded between layers of rock....
s lie at between 60 and 90 degrees to the horizontal. "Lode" is a Cornish mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
term for a mineral vein
Vein (geology)
In geology, a vein is a distinct sheetlike body of crystallized minerals within a rock. Veins form when mineral constituents carried by an aqueous solution within the rock mass are deposited through precipitation...
. Its small gradient allowed for optimal location of the mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s. Its discovery in c.1870 was a huge boost to the Cornish mining industry
Mining in Cornwall
Mining in Cornwall and Devon began in the early Bronze Age approximately 2,150 BC and ended with the South Crofty tin mine in Cornwall closing in 1998...
which was in decline at the time. Many of the mines amalgamated and continued production until the First World War.