Mining in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Mining in the United Kingdom produces a wide variety of mineral fuels, metals, and industrial minerals
. In 2006, there were over 2200 active mines
, quarries
, and offshore drilling sites
on the continental land mass of the United Kingdom
.
during the Bronze Age
, in approximately 2200-850 BC. Metalworking debris found beneath the ramparts at Beeston Castle
located in Beeston
, Cheshire
, England
is evidence of bronze
production during the Bronze Age.
Later, lead
and copper
attracted the Romans to Britain
, and in the 15th century they erected a lead smelter at Flint
in northern Wales . The Romans introduced iron tools and used local slaves to mine galena
, an important lead ore mineral, from which they refined lead, tin
, and silver
. These metals were used locally and also transported by ship throughout the Roman Empire
. Galena was mined from deep mines located in Scotland and Wales. Lead, tin, and aluminum were then refined from galena.
The widespread availability of coal
and iron
was a significant factor in Europe’s Industrial Revolution
of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although coal and iron ore are no longer mined in significant quantities in the United Kingdom, they were once mined in large quantities throughout the United Kingdom and utilized for steel and energy production. With large quantities of important minerals available and easily accessible, the United Kingdom’s economy grew rapidly.
, oil
, and coal
are all produced in the United Kingdom. Coal is mined from many areas in the United Kingdom from both deep mines and surface mines
. In addition to the coal being mined on land, large reserves of oil and natural gas are being tapped in the North Sea
.
, the United States
, and Canada
. Natural gas reserves are concentrated in the following three areas: 1) associated fields in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf
; 2) non-associated fields in the Southern Gas Basin, located adjacent to the Dutch sector of the North Sea; and 3) non-associated fields in the Irish Sea
.
, with smaller fields in the North Atlantic. Located in Dorset
, the Wytch Farm
field is the largest onshore oilfield in Europe
with estimated recoverable reserves of 480 million barrels of crude oil .
UK Coal
is the United Kingdom’s largest coal mining company, producing approximately 8.7 million tonnes of coal annually from deep mines and surface mines, and possesses estimated reserves in excess of 200 million tonnes of coal. Total proved coal reserves in the United Kingdom are estimated at 220 million tonnes, although possible reserves could exceed 1 billion tonnes.
and North America
, and iron ore from China
, Brazil
and Australia
are higher grades of metals at lower costs, lowering demand from the United Kingdom’s copper and iron ore mines. Although large reserves of iron ore and copper are found in the United Kingdom, copper and iron ore are now largely imported from other countries.
Tin and lead is still being mined from deep mines located in England, Scotland and Wales. Silver is also mined in small quantities from deep mines and separated from lead ore. The United Kingdom has a large variety of important metals, but little metal is currently being mined in the United Kingdom.
, gravel
, and cement
used in construction products and road building. With 80 quarries
, Tarmac
is the United Kingdom’s largest producer of crushed rock, sand, and gravel .
There are many slate
mines in the United Kingdom producing slate that is used for building and architectural purposes. The largest slate mine is the Delabole Slate Mine, located on the North Coast of Cornwall
near Delabole
. Slate quarries are located throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom also has an abundance of specialized minerals such as China clay, used in fine china and porcelain, and Fuller’s earth, an absorbent mineral used for spill containment and cleaning supplies.
Industrial minerals
Industrial minerals are geological materials which are mined for their commercial value, which are not fuel and are not sources of metals ....
. In 2006, there were over 2200 active mines
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...
, quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
, and offshore drilling sites
Offshore drilling
Offshore drilling refers to a mechanical process where a wellbore is drilled through the seabed. It is typically carried out in order to explore for and subsequently produce hydrocarbons which lie in rock formations beneath the seabed...
on the continental land mass of the 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...
.
Brief history
The United Kingdom has a rich history of mining. There is evidence that mining took place in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
during the Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
, in approximately 2200-850 BC. Metalworking debris found beneath the ramparts at Beeston Castle
Beeston Castle
Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England , perched on a rocky sandstone crag above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, , on his return from the Crusades...
located in Beeston
Beeston, Cheshire
Beeston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in the north of England. It is south of Tarporley, and close to the Shropshire Union Canal. Beeston Castle nearby is a spectacular clifftop ruin in the care of English...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, 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...
is evidence of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
production during the Bronze Age.
Later, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
attracted the Romans to Britain
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...
, and in the 15th century they erected a lead smelter at Flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
in northern Wales . The Romans introduced iron tools and used local slaves to mine galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
, an important lead ore mineral, from which they refined lead, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
. These metals were used locally and also transported by ship throughout the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Galena was mined from deep mines located in Scotland and Wales. Lead, tin, and aluminum were then refined from galena.
The widespread availability of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
was a significant factor in Europe’s Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Although coal and iron ore are no longer mined in significant quantities in the United Kingdom, they were once mined in large quantities throughout the United Kingdom and utilized for steel and energy production. With large quantities of important minerals available and easily accessible, the United Kingdom’s economy grew rapidly.
Mineral Fuels
The United Kingdom still has large reserves of available mineral fuels. Natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
are all produced in the United Kingdom. Coal is mined from many areas in the United Kingdom from both deep mines and surface mines
Surface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
. In addition to the coal being mined on land, large reserves of oil and natural gas are being tapped in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
Natural Gas
The United Kingdom is the fourth largest producer of natural gas in the world, after RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Natural gas reserves are concentrated in the following three areas: 1) associated fields in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf
UK Continental Shelf
The UK Continental Shelf is the region of waters surrounding the United Kingdom, in which the country claims mineral rights. This principally refers to the North Sea, where there are large resources of hydrocarbons. The North Sea is also bordered by Norway, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands...
; 2) non-associated fields in the Southern Gas Basin, located adjacent to the Dutch sector of the North Sea; and 3) non-associated fields in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
.
Oil
The United Kingdom has an estimated 780 million tonnes of proved and probable oil reserves; most of these oil reserves are located on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf in the North Sea off the eastern coast of the United Kingdom. There are also sizable reserves in the North Sea north of the Shetland IslandsShetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
, with smaller fields in the North Atlantic. Located in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the Wytch Farm
Wytch Farm
Wytch Farm is an oil field and processing facility in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. It is the largest onshore oil field in western Europe. The facility, operated by BP, is hidden in a coniferous forest on Wytch Heath on the southern shore of Poole Harbour, two miles north of Corfe Castle...
field is the largest onshore oilfield in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with estimated recoverable reserves of 480 million barrels of crude oil .
Coal
In 2007, 16,309,730 tonnes of coal were produced in the United Kingdom . In the United Kingdom coal is mined from both deep mines and surface mines. The majority of coal produced in England comes from underground mines, in Scotland most coal is mined from open-pit mines.UK Coal
UK Coal
UK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
is the United Kingdom’s largest coal mining company, producing approximately 8.7 million tonnes of coal annually from deep mines and surface mines, and possesses estimated reserves in excess of 200 million tonnes of coal. Total proved coal reserves in the United Kingdom are estimated at 220 million tonnes, although possible reserves could exceed 1 billion tonnes.
Metals
Metal production in the United Kingdom has decreased over the past century. Iron and copper are no longer mined in significant quantities in the United Kingdom due to the effects of globalization. Copper from ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and iron ore from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
are higher grades of metals at lower costs, lowering demand from the United Kingdom’s copper and iron ore mines. Although large reserves of iron ore and copper are found in the United Kingdom, copper and iron ore are now largely imported from other countries.
Tin and lead is still being mined from deep mines located in England, Scotland and Wales. Silver is also mined in small quantities from deep mines and separated from lead ore. The United Kingdom has a large variety of important metals, but little metal is currently being mined in the United Kingdom.
Industrial Minerals
Many types of industrial minerals are found in the United Kingdom. The most common industrial minerals are sandSand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
, and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
used in construction products and road building. With 80 quarries
Quarries
Quarries - The "Royal Quarries" — not found in Scripture — is the namegiven to the vast caverns stretching far underneath the northern hill, Bezetha, on which Jerusalem is built. Out of these mammoth caverns stones, a hard limestone, have been quarried in ancient times for the buildings in the...
, Tarmac
Tarmac (company)
Tarmac is a company that is based in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom and operates internationally. The company produces aggregates and road-surfacing materials, including tarmacadam, from which the company's name is derived...
is the United Kingdom’s largest producer of crushed rock, sand, and gravel .
There are many slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
mines in the United Kingdom producing slate that is used for building and architectural purposes. The largest slate mine is the Delabole Slate Mine, located on the North Coast of 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...
near Delabole
Delabole
Delabole is a large village in north Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately two miles west of Camelford.The village of Delabole came into existence in the 20th century; it is named after the Delabole Quarry. There were three hamlets: Pengelly, Medrose and Rockhead...
. Slate quarries are located throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom also has an abundance of specialized minerals such as China clay, used in fine china and porcelain, and Fuller’s earth, an absorbent mineral used for spill containment and cleaning supplies.