Botallack mine

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Listed ruin at Botallack Mine
The old machine houses of the "Crown Mine"
Botallack Mine, 1836, engraving by William Miller after Clarkson Stanfield

The Botallack Mine is a former mine in the St Just mining district, Cornwall . The extraction of ore-containing minerals took place here in the period before 1721 until it was closed in 1914. You were deep below sea level.

The mine complex known today as the “Botallack Mine” includes a large number of smaller and larger mines and shafts that changed names, merged or ceased operations over the course of more than 300 years of mining history. For example, "Grylls Bunny", "Wheal Chase", "Wheal Cock", "Wheal Hazard", "Wheal Hen" and "Wheal Tolvan" (also Wheal Tolvaen ), the "Crown Mine", the "Carnyorth Mine" and the "Parknoweth Mine" too.

The buildings belonging to the former company premises, such as the count house, the tin and arsenic works and the machine houses, are now protected by the National Trust . They are also part of the Cornwall and West Devon mining landscape , which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List .

Mineral finds

Cassiterite crystals from the Botallack mine

The Botallack Mine is a well-known mineral resource. A total of 179 minerals and varieties have been discovered here so far (as of 2011) . In addition, Botallack is the type locality for the mineral botallackite named after this place .

The minerals mined as raw materials for copper and tin production mainly included the minerals chalcosine ( copper luster ), chalcopyrite ( copper pebbles ), bornite ( colored copper pebbles ) and cassiterite ( tin stone ). In addition, arsenopyrite ( arsenic gravel) was mined to produce arsenic . Other minerals discovered there include native antimony , bismuth , copper and silver ; Quartz and its varieties smoky quartz , amethyst , citrine , chalcedony , jasper and carnelian ; Uraninite and its variety pitchblende as well as gem minerals such as chrysocolla , various garnets , opal , rhodochrosite and turquoise .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Mindat - description of the location, list of minerals and varieties discovered there and associated shafts of the Botallack Mine, St Just, Cornwall, England, UK (English)

Web links

Commons : Botallack Mine  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 8 ′ 35 "  N , 5 ° 41 ′ 35.5"  W.