United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook 2009
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United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook 2009 British Geological Survey United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook 2009 Statistical data to 2008 By T Bide, N E Idoine, T J Brown, P A J Lusty, K Hitchen, M Quinn and R Kendall Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey 2010 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY © NERC 2010 All rights reserved The full range of Survey publications is available from the Copyright in materials derived from the British Geological BGS Sales Desk at Nottingham, Edinburgh and London; Survey’s work is owned by the Natural Environment see contact details below or shop online at Research Council (NERC) and/or the authority that www.geologyshop.com commissioned the work. You may not copy or adapt this publication without first obtaining permission. Contact the The London Information Office also maintains a reference BGS Intellectual Property Rights Section, British Geological collection of BGS publications including maps for consultation. Survey, Keyworth, e-mail [email protected]. The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and You may quote extracts of a reasonable length without other publications; this catalogue is available from any prior permission, provided a full acknowledgement is given of the BGS Sales Desks. of the source of the extract. The British Geological Survey carries out the geological All communications regarding the content of this survey of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter as publication should be addressed to the Head of Science, an agency service for the government of Northern Ireland), Minerals and Waste, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, and of the surrounding continental shelf, as well as its Nottingham NG12 5GG basic research projects. It also undertakes programmes of ຜ 0115 936 3495 Fax 0115 936 3446 British technical aid in geology in developing countries as e-mail: [email protected] arranged by the Department for International Development and other agencies. Acknowledgements The compilers are grateful for help from the Office The British Geological Survey is a component body of the for National Statistics, the Department for Business, Natural Environment Research Council. Innovation and Skills, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Energy and British Geological Survey offices: Climate Change, the Crown Estate Commissioners, The Crown Mineral Agent, the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Isle of Man Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG Department of Trade and Industry. They would also like to ຜ 0115 936 3100 Fax 0115 936 3200 acknowledge the valuable assistance given by the World www.bgs.ac.uk Bureau of Metal Statistics, the UK Iron and Steel Statistics Sales desk: ຜ 0115 936 3241 Bureau, the Mineral Products Association, the Kaolin and Fax 0115 936 3488, e-mail: sales @bgs.ac.uk Ball Clay Association, the Valuation Office Agency, The Online shop: www.geologyshop.com Coal Authority and the numerous companies that have Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh generously provided additional information. EH9 3LA ຜ 0131 667 1000 Fax 0131 668 2683 The compilers would also like to thank their colleagues in e-mail: [email protected] the British Geological Survey, in particular A J Hill, H Holbrook and J Stevenson. Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Bibliographical reference ຜ 020 7589 4090 Fax 020 7584 8270 ຜ 020 7942 5344/45 British Geological Survey. 2010. United Kingdom e-mail: [email protected] Minerals Yearbook 2009. (Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey.) Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast BT9 5BF Cover photograph ຜ 028 9038 8462 Fax 028 9038 8461 Extraction of granite at Mountsorrel Quarry, Loughborough. Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford Operated by Lafarge Aggregates OX10 8BB BGS © NERC. Photographer: Tom Bide ຜ 01491 838800 Fax 01491 692345 OS Topography © Crown Copyright. All Rights Reserved BGS 100017897/2010 Columbus House, Greenmeadow Springs, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7NE ຜ 029 2052 1962 Fax 029 2052 1963 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU ຜ 01793 411500 Fax 01793 411501 ISBN 978 0 85272 667 9 ii Preface Policy makers, regulators, industry and the wider public all require access to reliable information on the minerals industry in Britain. Such data are provided in our annual publication, United Kingdom Minerals Yearbook, which brings together data on minerals production, consumption and trade, and includes an authoritative commentary on current developments in the minerals industry. It is of value to all those interested in Britain’s minerals industry and its contribution to the national economy, and forms part of the long-term mining and quarrying record of the UK. In 2009 minerals issues in the UK were dominated by the global financial crises, and the trend of mothballing and closure of quarries and job cuts continued. Hanson UK, the aggregate and cement producer, was put up for sale by its parent company, Heidelbergcement. Steel producer Corus, was also a major casualty of the economic downturn and was forced to close its Teesside Cast Products plant with the loss of over 1700 jobs. Reductions in the demand for aggregates and other raw materials continued with the Mineral Products Association reporting crushed rock and sand and gravel sales during 2009 declining by 25 and 23 per cent respectively. There remains concern within the EU and beyond over the security of supply of minerals and metals, especially those required for high-tech and environmental technologies. Following the EU Raw Materials Initiative in 2008 two expert working groups, on which the BGS was represented, were set up to assess raw materials critical to the EU economy and to advise upon best practices in land use planning, permitting and geological knowledge sharing. The reports of these groups were published in June 2010 and will feed into a new EC Communication on raw materials planned for the end of 2010. Despite the recession, unprecedented demand from China and India caused world coal prices to remain relatively high, although they have dropped from record prices seen in 2008. This has led to greater investment in UK operations resulting in increased numbers of new opencast sites commencing production and more planning applications for new opencast sites. UK Coal plc has continued to invest in its three underground mines at Daw Mill, Thoresby and Kellingley and is considering the viability of re-opening Harworth colliery. Continued demand from developing countries has meant that the effect of the recession on some metalliferous minerals was not as severe as for other commodities. Scotgold plc continues to work to bring the Cononish gold deposit into production and is exploring its contiguous licence areas in the Grampian Highlands for similar gold mineralisation. Wolf Minerals has continued investigations at the large tungsten-tin deposit in Devon and has raised funds for a feasibility study of the deposit to be completed during 2010. In Northern Ireland, a large proportion of the land area remains under licence for gold and base metal exploration and several companies have continued work throughout 2009. I would like to thank colleagues in the Government Statistical Service who have collaborated so readily in providing the basic data included in this volume. I would also like to thank the many organisations, trade associations, companies and individuals who have generously supplied additional information. John N Ludden, PhD Executive Director British Geological Survey Keyworth Nottingham June 2010 iii Contents Page Page General tables: 48 Fluorspar 49 Fuller’s earth 1 Minerals in the national economy (text) 49 Gas, natural (see Petroleum) 2 British Geological Survey (text) 49 Germanium 3 Trade in minerals and mineral-based products 49 Gold compared with total trade 2002–2008 52 Granite (see Igneous rock) 5 Balance of trade in minerals and mineral-based 52 Graphite products 2004–2008 52 Gypsum 7 Approximate value of minerals produced in the UK 53 Hafnium 2001–2008 54 Igneous rock (for graph, see Crushed rock) 7 UK approximate value of minerals produced onshore 56 Insulating materials and offshore 2001–2008 56 Iodine 8 UK mining and quarrying: gross value added 56 Iron compounds and earth colours 2000–2007 57 Iron ore 8 UK employment in the minerals industry, 2007 and 57 Iron and steel 2008 58 Lead 9 UK production of minerals 2003–2009 59 Limestone, dolomite and chalk (see graph, see 10 England production of minerals 2002–2008 Crushed rock) 11 Wales production of minerals 2002–2008 69 Lithium 11 Scotland production of minerals 2002–2008 69 Magnesia 12 Northern Ireland mineral production by county 2008 70 Magnesium 12 Minerals produced in Northern Ireland, the Isle of 70 Manganese Man, Guernsey and Jersey 2004–2008 71 Marble 12 UK mineral production by underground mining 71 Mercury 2006–2009 71 Mica 13 Area of land permitted for mineral working in England 72 Molybdenum in 1994 and 2000 72 Nepheline syenite 13 Mineral bearing land royalty values 73 Nickel 14 Number of mineral workings in the UK by commodity 73 Niobium (see Tantalum and Niobium) 15 Abrasives, natural 73 Peat 15 Aggregates 74 Perlite 22 Aluminium 74 Petroleum and natural gas (also see Primary fuels) 23 Aluminium compounds 84 Phosphorus 23 Antimony 85 Platinum group metals 23 Arsenic 85 Potash 24 Asbestos 86 Precious and semi-precious stones (excluding 24 Asphalt, natural diamonds) 24 Ball clay