Weardale Minerals include:
Galena or Lead Ore.
Ironstone,
Fluorspar
Limestone,
Ganister,
Whinstone,
Galena or Lead Ore.
Ironstone,
Fluorspar
Limestone,
Ganister,
Whinstone,
Frosterley marble
The limestone of the dales contains the remains of vast tropical seas with corals, blankets of sponges and masses of other marine life, whilst other rocks reveal remains of huge forests of giant ferns and mosses. All can be traced back over 300 million years when the North Pennines lay astride the equator.
Miners’ pay was poor and they needed to supplement their income by farming small-holdings on the hillside. Fathers and sons worked at the mine while mothers and daughters tended to the animals. Hay-time was a communal activity, when miners stayed off work and children had long school holidays.
Fracturing these rocks are veins of lead ore and other minerals which have supported centuries of mining. Many of the minerals are spectacularly beautiful and some are unique to the area.
A visit to ‘Killhope Lead-mining Museum’ is a highly recommended.