Heights Mine, Westgate, Stanhope, County Durham, England, UKi
Regional Level Types | |
---|---|
Heights Mine | Mine |
Westgate | Village |
Stanhope | Civil Parish |
County Durham | County |
England | Constituent Country |
UK | Country |
Heights Mine, Westgate, Weardale, County Durham, England, UK
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
54° 44' 51'' North , 2° 7' 21'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
UK National Grid Reference:
NY921392
Type:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
Place | Population | Distance |
---|---|---|
Stanhope | 1,602 (2017) | 6.8km |
Frosterley | 636 (2017) | 10.8km |
Middleton in Teesdale | 934 (2017) | 13.9km |
Wolsingham | 2,503 (2017) | 15.5km |
Mickleton | 413 (2017) | 16.2km |
Mindat Locality ID:
839
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:839:7
GUID (UUID V4):
17ca88b6-d00a-4dc7-8f83-fe2defc5e8c2
The Heights mine is located to the north of the River Wear, between the villages of Eastgate and Westgate. The Heights mine proper consists of numerous underground workings that were developed on three principal veins - the roughly parallel Heights North and South veins and the intersecting West Cross vein. Most of the workings were developed to access the associated flats at the High Flats horizon in the Great Limestone.
Though some lead was obtained from the flats by the Beaumont Company during the early 1860s, the Heights mine was principally worked by the Weardale Iron Company between 1850 and 1868 as a source of iron ore. Commercial iron deposits were found in the flats surrounding the veins as limonite derived from the oxidation of iron carbonates (ankerite and/or siderite).
The flats associated with the three main veins are quite vuggy and have been the source of some magnificent specimens of twinned emerald-green fluorite, in crystals up to 4 centimeters. Well-formed specimens of pale purple to colorless fluorite have also been found. Associated minerals include galena, calcite, and aragonite. Larger, opaque green fluorite crystals to 8 centimeters have also been encountered.
The old underground workings, long a source of specimens dug by amateur collectors, were in dangerous condition and were sealed in the late 1970s. In recent years the area surrounding the original mine has been developed as a quarry for crushed stone and as quarrying progressed, portions of the South and West Cross veins were again exposed.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
β Aragonite Formula: CaCO3 |
β Calcite Formula: CaCO3 References: |
βͺ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 |
β Galena Formula: PbS |
β 'Limonite' |
β Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
---|---|---|---|
β | Galena | 2.CD.10 | PbS |
Group 3 - Halides | |||
β | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
β | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
β | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
β | Aragonite | 5.AB.15 | CaCO3 |
Unclassified | |||
β | 'Limonite' | - |
List of minerals for each chemical element
C | Carbon | |
---|---|---|
C | β Aragonite | CaCO3 |
C | β Calcite | CaCO3 |
O | Oxygen | |
O | β Aragonite | CaCO3 |
O | β Calcite | CaCO3 |
O | β Quartz | SiO2 |
F | Fluorine | |
F | β Fluorite | CaF2 |
Si | Silicon | |
Si | β Quartz | SiO2 |
S | Sulfur | |
S | β Galena | PbS |
Ca | Calcium | |
Ca | β Aragonite | CaCO3 |
Ca | β Calcite | CaCO3 |
Ca | β Fluorite | CaF2 |
Pb | Lead | |
Pb | β Galena | PbS |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
British and Irish IslesGroup of Islands
Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
EuropeContinent
UK
- England
- County Durham
- WeardaleRiver Valley
- North Pennines AreaArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Northern Pennine OrefieldOre Field
- The PenninesRange of Mountains and Hills
- County Durham
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