Geology and mining in the Peak District

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The White Peak derives its origins from a geological period when sediments, composed of micro organisms, corals, sea-lilies, more commonly known as crinoids, shellfish and a host of other tiny creatures died, and their remains settled on the shallow sea floor, where the layers built up in ever increasing thickness during the carboniferous era, more than 300 million years ago. These sediments were to become rich in calcium carbonate, while over time they slowly hardened to form enormously thick layers of pure limestone rock. With the constant action of the sun, wind and rain over countless eons, these extensive areas of white limestone not only eroded gradually, but they were twisted and contorted by pressure from below forming the well-known Derbyshire dome, which is the white peak landscape we see around us today. The Wye Valley, which threads its way south eastwards out of Buxton, the magnificent Winnats Pass to the west of Castleton, along with the Dove valley in the south-west and Lathkill Dale near Monyash, are just several fine examples of what time and the elements, can do to this incredible Peak District geological formation. During the period that followed the carboniferous, around 180 million years ago, other minerals that were still in a fluid form, were forced up from far below the earth's crust by volcanic action, where these minerals penetrated any line of weakness they found within the limestone rock itself. Eventually, these minerals cooled down and solidified. The speed at which each of the minerals cooled, played its part in whether the mineral would form as individual crystals, or as a more dense crystaline mass.

Galena and Fluorite


Oxidized Galena

For more than two-thousand years of recent history, this rich and varied landscape around us has been worked by many for the wealth and variety of its minerals. The Romans, when they invaded the British Isles and eventually came to settle in and around the Derbyshire Peak District, discovered that there were certain familiar mineral resources in abundance, minerals that they knew they could exploit and find a use for them in their every day lives. One such mineral is shown in the photograph above, this is Galena (lead sulphide).

Although this mineral is found all along the eastern edge of the white peak, it is at the Ball Eye Mine on the Via Gellia, close to the town of Matlock, that galena was discovered as containing higher than normal levels of Silver, Ag (Element). In the photograph, galena is the black shiny metallic mass found here with one of its associated minerals, Fluorite, (Calcium Fluoride). Below this, the photograph shows what happens to galena when it comes into prolonged contact with air, it becomes oxidized and forms a crust on the surface.

Proof that the Romans actually mined for lead ore within the Peak District, can be seen from the lead ingots that have been unearthed in several locations within the region, notably at Cromford Moor, Matlock Bank, Tansley Moor and at Bradwell.

These 'pigs' of lead had raised legends on them that is assumed to indicate either its ownership, or as in one particular discovery where the word 'LVTVDARES' appears, this is commonly thought to refer to a site located somewhere near Wirksworth. Models of ingots, based on these examples, can been seen by visiting Buxton Museum in its superb 'Wonders of the Peak' walk through time, and at the Mining Museum at Matlock Bath.

The area around Matlock is rich in a variety of minerals, and as is common throughout the mineral field in Derbyshire, these occur in veins that are mainly alligned west to east and worked either at the surface via rakes, or far below ground where the early miners followed natural bedding planes within the limestone.

Baryte (Barium Sulphate)

The bulk of this specimen shown above is Baryte, (Barium Sulphate) a noticeably heavy mineral that is used for medical purposes as a Barium Meal. Other uses include Toothpaste and as a thickener in the Paint industry.

Also present is the mineral Fluorspar (Calcium Fluoride). this was once discarded by the early miners, but during the twentieth century it was, and indeed still is exploited for use as a flux in the steel industry, another use in toothpaste, our water suplies and for the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid.

Fluorite crystals

The photograph above displays a bed of fine Fluorite crystals in their natural cubic form. While these were being formed millions of years ago, a secondary bright green mineral has coated the crystal faces of the fluorite.

Calcite (Calcium Carbonate)

Here is a form of Calcite (Calcium Carbonate) known as Nail-head Spar. Another mineral has formed between and on top of this specimen and appears as marcasite nodules. It is calcium that forms Stalagmites and stalactites in many of Derbyshire's cave systems.

Dogtooth Calcite Crystal

This is another slightly more common form of Calcite, a delicate pale lemon Dogtooth Calcite crystal that is typical of what could be found around Eyam.

Mineral veins within the Peak District are centred around the towns of: Castleton, Bradwell, Tideswell, Eyam and Stoney Middleton in the northern section of the ore field, while Monyash, Sheldon, Bakewell and Youlgreave are at its centre.

In the southern sector of the White Peak, Matlock, Wirksworth, Brassington are the most noteable areas with a very long history of mining. To the west, there is Ecton which although is within the Peak District National Park, is actually in Staffordshire.

This was once the centre of extensive Copper (An element, Au) mining that began long ago with the Romans, however, mining began on a much larger scale here during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Profits from the copper resources at Ecton, were used to pay for the construction of the magnificent Crescent in Buxton by the Duke of Devonshire.