The riches beneath our feet : how mining shaped britain / Geoff Coyle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coyle, R. G.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mines and mineral resources--Great Britain--History.

Mines and mineral resources.

Mineral industries--Great Britain--History.

Mineral industries.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Britain's mining and quarrying industries date back to the Stone Age flint mines of 2500 BC and still exist. In that period of more than 4,000 years the country's miners have produced colossal amounts of copper, tin, lead, zinc, iron, a lot of silver and some gold, and smaller amounts of just about every other metal from arsenic to uranium. The metals were the foundation of our industrial wealth and ease of living but they were driven by King Coal, which at its peak employed a million men and produced more than 200 million tons a year. Granite from Scotland, limestone from Southern England, sa

Contents:

Contents; List of Figures; List of Plates; 1. The Achievements of Britain's Miners; 2. Britain's Geology and Minerals; 3. Britain's Copper and Tin Mining; 4. Power to the Miner's Elbow; 5. From Castle Roofs to Organ Pipes: The Lead and Zinc Mines; 6. King Coal: Britain's Powerhouse; 7. Building Britain: Granite, Stone, and Slate; 8. The Salts of the Earth; 9. Iron and Steel: The Sinews of Industry; 10. The Riches of the Earth: Britain's Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones; 11. Accidents and Disasters: The Price Miners Paid; 12. Lords and Adventurers: The Mine Owners

13. The Mining People and Their Communities14. Epitaph or Revival? The Possibilities for Britain's Mining Industries; Appendix: The Main British Minerals; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-50639-0

9786612506390

0-19-157642-5

OCLC:

609859829