The Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield in the English Midlands

English Midlands

The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...

 is one of the smaller British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 coalfield

Coalfield

A coalfield is an area of certain uniform characteristics where coal is mined. The criteria for determining the approximate boundary of a coalfield are geographical and cultural, in addition to geological...

s. The two areas are sometimes separately referred to as the South Derbyshire Coalfield and the Leicestershire Coalfield. All of the worked coal seams are contained within the Lower and Middle Coal Measures

Coal Measures Group

The Coal Measures Group is a lithostratigraphical term coined to refer to the coal-bearing succession of rock strata which occur in Great Britain within the Westphalian Stage of the Carboniferous Period. The Coal Measures Group is preceded by the Millstone Grit Group which is of Namurian age...

 which are of Upper Carboniferous

Carboniferous

The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...

age.

The following seams are recognised in South Derbyshire:

Middle Coal Measures

• Ell
• Dicky Gobler
• Block
• Yard
• Little

Lower Coal Measures

• Main
• Little Woodfield
• Woodfield
• Stockings
• Eureka
• Stanhope
• Clod
• Kilburn

In the Leicestershire area, the following are recognised;

Middle Coal Measures

• Excelsior
• Minge
• Five Foot
• Splent
• New Main (Slate)
• Swannington Yard
• Cannel

Lower Coal Measures

• Upper Main (Main)
• Middle Lount
• Yard
• Low Main (Roaster)
• Clod
• Kilburn