Boulby Mine

Boulby Mine
Surface workings at Boulby Mine
Location
Boulby Mine is located in North Yorkshire
Boulby Mine
Boulby Mine
Location within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire
LocationLoftus, Saltburn-by-the-Sea[1]
CountyNorth Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates54°33′12″N 0°49′28″W / 54.5534°N 0.8245°W / 54.5534; -0.8245
Production
ProductsPolyhalite
Rock salt
PotashPluS
ProductionPolyhalite 450,000 tonnes (500,000 tons)
Financial year2017–18
TypeUnderground
Greatest depth4,600 feet (1,400 m)[2]
History
Opened1968 (1968) shaft sinking
1973 (1973) first shaft production
1976 (1976) full production
Owner
CompanyIsrael Chemicals
WebsiteOfficial website

Boulby Mine is a 200-hectare (490-acre) site located just south-east of the village of Boulby, on the north-east coast of the North York Moors in Loftus, North Yorkshire England.[1] It is run by Cleveland Potash Limited, which is now a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL).

In early 2016, polyhalite mining commenced. Polyhalite is a natural multi-nutrient fertiliser providing a source of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. It is marketed as Polysulphate by ICL and is sold in 3 grades: granular, mini-granular and standard.

As well as producing Polysulphate, a granulated blend of potash and Polysulphate is sold as PotashPluS - part of ICL's wider FertiliserPluS product spectrum.

It originally produced half of the United Kingdom's output of potash, an agricultural fertiliser. The mined ore consists of 35–45% sylvite ("potash", specifically potassium chloride) and 45–55% halite (rock salt, or sodium chloride).[3] The rock salt is extracted as a by-product and used across the region as a de-icing agent on roads in winter conditions. Other minerals are produced as waste (gangue) to the main effort, but may be sought after by mineral collectors, such as boracite, which occurs just above the beds of potash.[4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ a b "Boulby Mine - Contact Us". The World's Only Polyhalite Mine | ICL Boulby. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. ^ "The World's Only Polyhalite Mine | ICL Boulby". icl-uk.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Boulby, United Kingdom", Mining-technology.com, Progressive Digital Media Group PLC. Retrieved 11 November 2014
  4. ^ "Subterranea Britannica: Sites:Boulby Potash Mine". www.subbrit.org.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Yorkshire – Steetley Minerals". www.rock-site.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Boracite" (PDF). poslovni.hr. Retrieved 8 January 2019.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Milne, John K; Saunders, Michael J; Woods, Peter J E (September 1977). "Iron-boracite from the English Zechstein". Mineralogical Magazine. Vol. 41, no. 319. London: Mineralogical Society. pp. 406–406. ISSN 0026-461X.

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