THE STIPERSTONES –INDUSTRY

Mining in the Stiperstones area.

On the slopes of the Stiperstones there was once a thriving mining industry.

This engine house (now demolished) and tips (now mostly landscaped) show some of the effects that this indusrty had at Snailbeach.  Some remnants are still visible at the site now run by the Shropshire Mines Trust as a visitor attraction.

This mining industry was based around a series of veins that occur in some of the harder layers (mostly Mytton Flags) of rocks in this area. These veins are associated with the latest stage of igneous activity that occured in this area causing hydrothermal convection through the joints of the overlying strata. As the water running through these cracks cooled minerals carried in solution would have been deposited. Different minerals are deposited at different temperatures and this results in mineral zoning.

In the Stiperstones area the veins lie within two of these zones and relate to the three main minerals mined in the area. The lower zone contains lead and zinc whilst the upper (deposited at a lower temperature) contains barite. In general the lead and zinc were found in the central area of the mining district wheras the barite was found in the far west and to the east in Longmyndian rocks.

The lead was mainly found in the form of lead sulphide (PbS) known as galena. Galena is a distinctive metallic grey, cubic crystal and is the most common lead ore. It is not often found in well formed crystals but its cubic structure is usually fairly obvious.

Some of this lead ore also contained silver which the Romans, and later miners, extracted. Other minerals that can be found in these veins include, iron and copper pyrite, barium carbonate, lead carbonate, and zinc carbonate. There are places that can be visited where it is possible to collect mineral specimens from the old spoil tips.

The 'Rock Store' at the Snailbeach Heritage Centre is a safe, designated area for mineral collection.