Searches User Guide: Mining records
BritPits
BritPits (an abbreviation of British Pits) is a database maintained by the British Geological Survey of currently active and closed surface and underground mineral workings. Details of major mineral handling sites, such as wharfs and rail depots are also held in this database.
Data update schedule: Quarterly
Mineral Planning Areas
Boundaries of mineral planning permissions for England and Wales. This data was collated between the 1940s (and retrospectively to the 1930s) and the mid 1980s. The dataset holds information relating to:
1. Planning permissions granted for mineral extraction and associated facilities
2. Historic land use associated with permitted, withdrawn and refused mineral planning permission sites.
The dataset has been derived from approximately 1,400 1:25,000 scale paper maps and associated card index that was originally compiled by the Minerals Division of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (MHLG).
As the data pertains to planning permissions from 1930 to the mid-1980s it only represents a historic ‘snapshot’ in time. It does not show subsequent applications, resubmissions or later reworkings e.g. opencast reworking of waste tips. Details of these are held by Local Authority Mineral Planning Departments.
Data update schedule: Quarterly
Non-coal mining areas
The potential for historical non-coal mining to have affected an area. The assessment is drawn from expert knowledge and literature in addition to the Digital Geological Map of Britain. Mineral commodities may be divided into seven general categories: vein minerals, chalk, oil shale, building stone, bedded ores, evaporites and ‘other’ commodities (including ball clay, jet, black marble, graphite and chert).
This data is categorised on a 5 tier scale:
|
Category |
Description |
|
A - sporadic underground mining of restricted extent |
Potential for difficult ground conditions are unlikely and localised and are at a level where they need not be considered. Presence of past underground mining is not known to have occurred. Areas are categorized on the basis that the rock types present are known to have been worked in other areas. Areas therefore have the potential for underground mining but there is little or no evidence of mining activity. |
|
B - localised small scale underground mining may have occurred |
Potential for difficult ground conditions are unlikely or localised and are at a level where they need not be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings may occur but workings of small limited extent. Rock types present could support small scale underground mining. All such occurrences are likely to be of minor localised extent and infrequent. |
|
C - small scale underground mining may have occurred; mine adits, shafts and tunnels may be present |
Potential for localised difficult ground conditions are at a level where they should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings may be present. Underground mining is likely to have been of limited extent. |
|
D - underground mining is known or considered likely to have occurred within or close to the area |
Potential for difficult ground conditions are at a level where they should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings are probable. These are areas known or suspected to contain underground mining for minerals and/or other materials. |
|
E - underground mining is known to have occurred within or very close to the area |
Potential for difficult ground conditions should be investigated. Potential for localised subsidence is at a level where it should be considered. Presence of past underground mine workings are known or suspected to contain underground workings for minerals and/or other materials, extent of workings are likely to be extensive. No consideration has been given to the effects of remediation and it may be necessary to check if any remediation has been carried out. |
It should be noted, that there is always the possibility of the existence of other sub-surface excavations, such as wells, cess pits, follies, air raid shelters/bunkers and other military structures etc. that could affect surface ground stability but which are outside the scope of this dataset.
Data source: British Geological Survey
Data update schedule: Quarterly
Mining cavities
Industry recognised national database of mining cavities. Degraded mines may result in hazardous subsidence (crown holes). Climatic conditions and water escape can also trigger subsidence over mine entrances and workings. The cavity data have been collected from a diverse range of sources such as published information (e.g. technical papers, cave and mine guides, books etc), unpublished information (e.g. library and museum archives, academic studies, consultant and contractor archives etc), district and county councils, British Geological Survey and many others. The database includes mines excavated for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (e.g. fluorite, calcite and barytes), rock (e.g. slate, chalk, limestone, oil-shale, fullers’ earth and non-coalfield fireclays), iron (non-coalfield) and evaporites (e.g. salt and gypsum).
Data update schedule: Annually
Coal mining areas
Areas, defined by The Coal Authority, which could be affected by past, current or future coal mining. A site could fall within the ‘Coal Reporting Area’ but not be directly affected by coal mining.
Data update schedule: Annually
Brine areas
The Cheshire Brine Compensation District indicates areas that may be affected by salt and brine extraction in Cheshire and where compensation would be available where damage from this mining has occurred. Damage from salt and brine mining can still occur outside this district, but no compensation will be available, nor will these areas be shown within this dataset.
Data update schedule: Variable
Gypsum areas
Gypsum is a soft sulphate mineral composed of calcium sulphate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely mined and is used as a fertiliser and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. This dataset provides information on Gypsum extraction from British Gypsum records. The areas identified are based on permitted areas and or known worked areas.
Data update schedule: Annually
Tin mining areas
This section identifies areas where past tin mining has occurred. Areas identified within this database may indicate tin mining in proximity but do not definitively identify that tin mining took place beneath the property.
Data update schedule: Static (last updated in 2019)