North Staffordshire Coalfield
The North Staffordshire Coalfield is an historic coalfield in the County of Staffordshire, England. The Coalfield encompasses an area of nearly 100 square miles (260 km2) and that area is virtually wholly contained within the boundaries of the city of Stoke on Trent and the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. There are three other smaller coalfields which are associated with the North Staffs field and they are the tiny Shaffalong and Goldsitch Moss Coalfields near to Leek and the Cheadle Coalfield. Coal mining in North Staffordshire was recorded as early as the 13th century by the monks at Hulton Abbey but the industry grew during the Industrial Revolution when coal mined in North Staffordshire was used in the areas famous Pottery industry of the Potteries, and also the local Iron industry as ironstone deposits were also found with the coal in certain areas.
The heyday of the industry was in the period before the First World War when over 20,000 men worked in the industry and over 50 pits were in operation. After nationalisation in 1947 the industry was gradually reduced in size as the smaller pits were closed or merged with the larger, more modern mines. The industry began its final decline after the 1984-85 miners' strike and the last deep mine in the coalfield, Silverdale, was closed on Christmas Eve 1998.
The superficial geology in this area predominantly consists of Devensian glacial tills, which overlie the Middle and Upper Pennine Coal Measures; the same sequences of sandstones, mudstones and coal seams as forms the impressive coalfields of Lancashire. The North Staffordshire Coalfield is a compact and heavily faulted coalfield,which is triangular and troughed like a saucer in its shape. However, for its relatively small size it has an amazing number and variety of workable seams;
...
Wikipedia