You can’t leave abandoned mine shafts ……. Any ideas why not?

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/gold-rush/videos/committed-to-land-reclamation/ Gold Rush clip …. Land reclamation

MINING, QUARRYING AND RESTORATION OF SITES Bingham Copper mine, Utah, USA The Earth’s Dynamic Systems by W. K. Hamblin

Winding gear at a colliery, Ebbw Vale, S. Wales The cable around the wheel winds cages for miners up the shaft. Coal and coal waste is usually moved using a second shaft.

Coal shearer below ground Hydraulic props Coal seam Shearer blades

overburden Open cast coal pit Coal seam Coal Authority

Map of UK coal fields Scottish coalfields -mostly open cast N.E. England - all open cast mines Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire – mostly deep mining South Wales – open cast Coal Authority

RESTORATION OF OLD MINING AREAS Many areas of Britain were mined in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when most power came from coal. These mines are now derelict and their ground is polluted from coal waste and oil. There are many coal waste tips throughout the mining areas which need to be brought back into profitable use. Water draining from old mines is acidified and polluted and so it needs to be cleaned.

Filling old coal shafts on the Staffordshire Pennines Coal Authority Filling old coal shafts on the Staffordshire Pennines 40 tonnes of stone were used to fill this coal shaft which was subsiding dangerously. First the peat around the shaft was carefully removed. The helicopter unloaded the stone near the shaft, then the shaft was filled and the peat replaced.

Reclaimed coal mining land in West Wales Waste coal tips have been turned into valuable farming and forestry land.

First stages in reclamation of an old colliery site. The work will include: removing contaminated soil, removing old buildings, filling old shafts, draining the land, contouring the slopes, replacing the subsoil and adding topsoil. Coal Authority

Restoring old spoil tip settlement ponds Settlement ponds were used for removing mud and coal dust from mine water so that it could be returned to rivers. At Warsop they are being planted with reeds and trees and a nature reserve has been created for the local community. Coal Authority

Restoration of a colliery site in S. Wales Coal Authority

Acid mine water out flow from mines under Jackson Bridge, near Holmfirth.

Use of reed beds to treat acid mine water. Acid mine water is fed into settlement ponds for the mud and heavy metals to settle out. They will be removed and dumped safely. The water is still too acid so it is drained into a reed bed. The reeds reduce the acidity of the water so that it can be discharged into rivers. Coal Authority

Taff Merthyr Colliery mine water scheme, S. Wales At Taff Merthyr the colliery was cleared, cleaned and landscaped. Acid mine water is treated in settlement ponds and there are 18 reed beds. The whole area is now a parkland and nature reserve. Coal Authority

Clay working for cement in S. England. Open cast clay pit, screened by trees

Limestone quarry near Ingleton, N. Yorkshire Here the limestone is crushed and then graded (sorted by size). Main quarry face Bench 5m wide Face 10m high Water pumped out continuously.

Gravel working in old river terraces, near Heathrow, London Grading process produces piles of different size gravel. Gravel pit now filling with water Gravel from post-glacial river terraces of R. Thames

Restoration of gravel workings near London. Landscaping, tree planting and recreational use.

Slate quarry in Snowdonia, N. Wales Waste tips Slate cleavage planes Benches and faces Inclined plane to take slate to loading bay for lorries and trucks.

Ironstone mining near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire Backfilled with waste once ironstone is removed. Overburden – fossiliferous sandstones and shales Soil and rock overburden is removed, stored and used for backfilling. Ironstone, about 10m thick

Opencast mining for shale to make pipes for Hepworth Pipes, Crow Edge. Shale quarry, with benches and faces. Once backfilling has been completed the land is restored for agriculture. Quarrying is proceeding from right to left.

Restored coal mining area, Huddersfield The hillsides would have been covered with spoil tips and buildings. Vegetation has grown back and buildings have been cleared away. Picture by Rosie Tingle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26611073 deep sea mining for rare minerals

This limestone quarry in Derbyshire has become the National Stone Museum. THE END