OR/16/053 Foreword

Ellen, R, Callaghan, E, Leslie, A G, and Browne, M A E. 2016. The rocks of Spireslack surface coal mine and its subsurface data: an introduction. Nottingham, UK, British geological Survey. (OR/16/053).

Spireslack surface coal mine (SCM), East Ayrshire, Scotland, contains exposures of coal-bearing Carboniferous strata of Visean to Namurian age. The entirety of the Limestone Coal Formation is exposed in a one kilometre long, over 130 m thick section within the high wall of the main void at Spireslack, whilst most of the Lawmuir, Lower Limestone and Upper Limestone formations are exposed throughout the remainder of the SCM. Natural, clean and continuous exposures of these economically important strata are rare, and therefore the exposures at Spireslack give an opportunity to better understand the geology of this part of the Carboniferous within central Scotland.

Legacy mining data from Spireslack includes georeferenced, XYZ data from late 19th to early 20th century underground coal mining, and late 20th to early 21st century surface coal mining. These data provide an understanding of the subsurface structure of the strata exposed within Spireslack, allowing a local scale geological framework to be constructed.

This report provides a description of the geology exposed at Spireslack, which can be used as a foundation for further research at the site, and contribute to a wider understanding of similar coal-bearing strata elsewhere in Scotland. This report also provides a description of a 3D model of the bedrock site, constructed from legacy mining data and from field survey.