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	[[Category:Northern Ireland]]		[[Category:The geology of Northern Ireland]]

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{{nibrg}}
J W Arthurs and G Earls

== Introduction ==
[[File:P947895.jpg|thumbnail|Generalised geological map of Northern Ireland with metalliferous mineral localities. (P947895)]]

Northern Ireland has a varied mineral heritage with over 2000 abandoned mine workings, dating mostly from the 18th to early 20th Century. Historical mining was mostly for iron ore, coal, lead and salt. However, since the 1970s, potentially economic deposits of lignite, gold and a variety of industrial minerals have been identified [[Media:P947895.jpg| (P947895)]]. Modern exploration technology makes it likely that new discoveries will be made in the future.

Northern Ireland is unlike the rest of the United Kingdom in that its minerals are mostly state owned, allowing mineral exploration companies to acquire exclusive rights to prospect over large tracts of land while also enabling government to manage the associated economic development on behalf of the wider community in Northern Ireland. The Mineral Development Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 vests all minerals in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), with three classes of exception. First, gold and silver which is owned by the Crown and administered by the Crown Estates Commission. Second, construction minerals described in the Act as 'Common stone, sand and clay', and third, three small mineral properties that were active at the time of the enactment of the legislation (e.g. salt and perlite). The GSNI maintains a large library of exploration company reports which companies submitted to DETI under the terms of each prospecting licence.

Currently, only a restricted range of deposits, mostly aggregate and salt, are worked. Compared to other mineralised regions in Western Europe, Northern Ireland is relatively under-explored for predominantly non-geological reasons.

===[[Mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Minerals]]===
:[[Mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Introduction|Introduction]]

:[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Precious metals (gold and silver)]]

::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Mesothermal quartz vein-hosted gold|Mesothermal quartz vein-hosted gold]]

:::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Central Highlands (Grampian) Terrane (Dalradian Supergroup)|Central Highlands (Grampian) Terrane (Dalradian Supergroup)]]

:::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane (Leadhills Supergroup)|Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane (Leadhills Supergroup)]]

::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Stratabound gold occurrences|Stratabound gold occurrences]]

::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Volcanogenic gold occurrences|Volcanogenic gold occurrences]]

::[[Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Alluvial gold|Alluvial gold]]

:[[Base metals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Base metals]]

::[[Base metals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Lead and zinc|Lead and zinc]]

::[[Base metals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Copper|Copper]]

::[[Base metals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Tin|Tin]]

:[[Diamonds and semi-precious gems, mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Diamonds and semi-precious gems]]

:[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Bulk minerals]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Lateritic iron ores|Lateritic iron ores]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Iron ores|Iron ores]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Bauxite|Bauxite]]

:[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Industrial minerals|Industrial minerals]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Rock Salt (halite)|Rock Salt (halite)]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Gypsum and anhydrite|Gypsum and anhydrite]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Perlite|Perlite]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Diatomite|Diatomite]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Barytes|Barytes]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Glass sand|Glass sand]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Moulding sand|Moulding sand]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Feldspar|Feldspar]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Fireclay|Fireclay]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Ball clay|Ball clay]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Dolomite|Dolomite]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Chalk|Chalk]]

:[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Construction minerals|Construction minerals]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Aggregate|Aggregate]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Brickclay|Brickclay]]

::[[Bulk minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Dimension Stone|Dimension Stone]]

:[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland|Fuel minerals]]

::[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Coal|Coal]]

::[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Lignite|Lignite]]

::[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Peat|Peat]]

::[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#Uranium|Uranium]]

::[[Fuel minerals, mineral resources, Northern Ireland#References|References]]

<references/>

[[Category:Northern Ireland]]

Mineral resources, Northern Ireland - Revision history

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