The National Mineral Resource Map of Wales.

This manuscript describes a new map displaying the mineral resources of Wales, produced by the British Geological Survey. This is the first time mineral resources have been displayed on a national extent using a consistent methodology for Wales. This work recognises that it is essential that minerals are used in the most efficient and sustainable manner so that they can continue to make a vital contribution to the economy of Wales. These maps will assist local authorities to deliver national planning policy by depicting the location and extent of mineral resources throughout Wales in a consistent fashion and facilitate the development of more effective and sustainable management strategies

An assessment of global resources of rocks as suitable raw materials for carbon capture and storage by mineralisation

Carbon capture and storage by mineralisation (CCSM) is a method proposed for capturing CO2 by reacting it with magnesium in ultramafic rocks to form carbonate minerals and silica. Large quantities of magnesium silicate rocks are required for this process and to demonstrate the feasibility, and adequately plan for the development and supply of mineral resources, their locations and quantities must be known. This study attempts to globally define the spatial extent and quantity of resources that could be used for the CCSM processes and to assess, if based on resources, this could be a viable, widely applicable CO2 sequestration process. It has been estimated that around 90 teratonnes of material is available. This is sufficient to capture global CO2 emissions for over 700 years at current levels of output and highlights the enormous resource. Even if only a small part is utilised, it could make a significant impact on CO2 reduction. The majority of the resource is contained within ophiolitic rocks. The study further attempts to split CCSM resources into altered (serpentine-rich rocks) and unaltered (olivine-rich rocks) due to the different processing requirements for these rock types. Carbon capture and storage by mineralisation is likely to be of most use in areas with no access to underground geological CO2 storage or for small operations where underground storage is not practical. This study demonstrates that substantial resources are available and their supply is unlikely to be a constraint

The mineral resources of the English Channel and Thames Estuary

This report accompanies the Marine mineral resource map the marine sand and gravel resources of the English Channel and Thames Estuary (Bide et al, 2012). It has been published as part of the research project Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf commissioned by The Crown Estate. The map is one of a series that covers the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). Knowledge of mineral resources is essential for effective and sustainable planning decisions. The marine mineral resource maps provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information base. This information will allow all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public) to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale, an important requirement of an integrated marine planning system. The maps will also facilitate the conservation (safeguarding) of non-renewable mineral resources for future generations in accordance with the principles of sustainable development

Mineral safeguarding areas for North Yorkshire County Council

This report describes work carried out by the British Geological Survey on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council to delineate Mineral Safeguarding Areas (MSAs), the results of which will be used to inform its Minerals and Waste Development Framework. The approach taken is in accordance with the methodology outlined in ‘Mineral safeguarding in England: good practice advice’ (Wrighton et al., 2011). This report has been published during a period of change in national planning policy. The Government has committed to radically streamline and consolidate existing national planning policy. In July 2011 the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which has undergone a period of consultation. Whilst the draft NPPF retains the obligation for Local Planning Authorities to define MSAs, it is important to recognise that this report should be read in the context of a changing framework for planning. National policy for minerals safeguarding, at the time of the study, is contained within Minerals Policy Statement 1: Planning and Minerals, which was published in November 2006. The work involved in this study involved the provision of maps showing the extent of mineral resources in North Yorkshire (excluding the national parks) and creating MSAs for each mineral resource. Data depicted on the maps have been provided in digital form to the council for use within a Geographical Information System

Modelling the distribution and quality of sand and gravel resources in 3D: a case study in the Thames Basin, UK

Three-dimensional (3D) models are often utilised to assess the presence of sand and gravel deposits. Expanding these models to provide a better indication of the suitability of the deposit as aggregate for use in construction would be advantageous. This, however, leads to statistical challenges. To be effective, models must be able to reflect the interdependencies between different criteria (e.g. depth to deposit, thickness of deposit, ratio of mineral to waste, proportion of ‘fines’) as well as the inherent uncertainty introduced because models are derived from a limited set of boreholes in a study region. Using legacy borehole data collected during a systematic survey of sand and gravel deposits in the UK, we have developed a 3D model for a 2400 km2 region close to Reading, southern England. In developing the model, we have reassessed the borehole grading data to reflect modern extraction criteria and explored the most suitable statistical modelling technique. The additive log-ratio transform and the linear model of coregionalization have been applied, techniques that have been previously used to map soil texture classes in two dimensions, to assess the quality of sand and gravel deposits in the area. The application of these statistical techniques leads to a model which can be used to generate thousands of plausible realisations of the deposit which fully reflect the extent of model uncertainty. The approach offers potential to improve regional-scale mineral planning by providing an enhanced understanding of sand and gravel deposits and the extent to which they meet current extraction criteria

The marine mineral resources of the UK Continental Shelf : final report

In 2011, The Crown Estate commissioned the British Geological Survey (BGS) to begin a two year research project to undertake a Mineral Resource Assessment of the UK Continental Shelf with the results being depicted as a series of maps, accompanying reports and associated GIS data. This report details the process behind the compilation of these maps. It outlines the data sources used in the project, the methodology used to compile the data, the confidence in the data and any caveats associated with the data and its use. This report focuses on the national model for sand and gravel, where relevant information on the data for other minerals is included for completeness. Knowledge of mineral resources is essential for effective and sustainable planning decisions. The marine mineral resource maps provide a comprehensive, relevant and accessible information base. This information will allow all stakeholders (planners, industry and members of the public) to visualise the distribution of offshore minerals to a common standard and at a common scale, an important requirement of an integrated marine planning system. The maps will also facilitate the conservation (safeguarding) of non-renewable mineral resources for future generations in accordance with the principles of sustainable development

Collation of the results of the 2014 aggregate minerals survey for England and Wales

1.1 Aggregate Minerals (AM) surveys, normally undertaken at four-yearly intervals since 1973, provide an in-depth and up-to-date understanding of national and sub-national sales, inter-regional flows, transportation, consumption and permitted reserves of primary aggregates. The surveys are used to inform the development of minerals policy in respect to the production, movement and consumption of aggregates. The data are made publicly available. 1.2 This report is the collation of the data for primary aggregates for 2014, therefore there has been a five year period between this and the previous survey (AM2009). In addition to presenting information on regional and national sales, consumption, and permitted reserves of primary aggregates, the AM2014 report also presents data on the movement and consumption of primary aggregates by sub-region. Information is also presented on the quantity of aggregate minerals granted and refused planning permission and planning permission applications withdrawn between 2010 and 2014. In addition, information is presented on the quantity of aggregate minerals within planning permission applications submitted between 2010 and 2014 and were awaiting a decision at 31 December 2014. 1.3 The information is presented for England and Wales and for individual regions and was collected from aggregate producers by Mineral Planning Authorities (MPAs) using a standard form (Appendix F). It was subsequently collated at regional level by the relevant Aggregate Working Party Secretary (Appendix I) or the British Geological Survey (BGS)1 and at national level by the BGS on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Welsh Government. Similar information was published by the then Department of the Environment for 1973, 1977, 1985, 1989 and 1993, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for 1997, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for 2001 and the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Assembly Government for 2005 and 2009 (Appendix H). Comparisons of sales, consumption and permitted reserves for these years and 2014 are provided in Tables D1 to D3

Mineral safeguarding areas for North York Moors National Park authority

This report describes work carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS) on behalf of the North York Moors National Park Authority to delineate draft Mineral Safeguarding Areas (MSAs), the results of which will be used to undertake a mineral consultation safeguarding exercise. The approach taken is in accordance with the methodology outlined in ‘Mineral safeguarding in England: good practice advice’ (Wrighton et al., 2011). National policy for minerals safeguarding, at the time of the study, is contained within the ‘National Planning Policy Framework’ that was published in March 2012. The work undertaken in this study involved the production of maps showing the extent of mineral resources in the North York Moors National Park and the production of a recommended safeguarding methodology for each mineral resource informed by consultation. This report will be used to inform the establishment of MSAs through minerals planning policy, MSAs themselves are not finalised until relevant planning policy is adopted. Data depicted on the maps have been provided in digital format to the authority for use within a Geographical Information System

The mineral resources of the East Inshore and East Offshore marine plan areas, southern North Sea

Minerals are naturally occurring raw materials essential for the development of a modern economy. However, mineral resources are finite and can only be worked where they occur. As their extraction is subject to many constraints, it is important that society uses minerals in the most efficient and sustainable manner. Identifying the distribution of known mineral resources on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) and presenting them in a consistent fashion at a national scale allows minerals to be considered in the marine spatial planning process and permits more effective and sustainable management strategies to be developed. The British Geological Survey (BGS) has undertaken a commission from The Crown Estate to prepare a series of mineral resource maps which cover the UKCS. Mineral resource information was compiled following a desk study of data held by the BGS and external sources. This report summarises the mineral resources depicted on the first of these maps - the East Inshore and East Offshore Marine Plan Areas in the southern North Sea. These are the first areas (Figure 1) for which the Marine Management Organisation is preparing marine plans (MMO, 2010). The map has been produced by the collation and interpretation of a wide range of information, much of which is spatially variable and not always available in a consistent and convenient form. The map depicts mineral resources of current or potential future economic interest in the area. It comprises a 1:500 000 scale map (which accompanies this report) depicting marine aggregate (sand and gravel) resources on the sea bed, and two 1:1 500 000 scale maps (as annexes in this report) depicting coal and evaporite resources at depth beneath the sea bed. These map scales are convenient for the overall display of the data. However, all the data are held digitally at larger scales using a Geographical Information System (GIS), which allows for revision, updating and customisation of the information, together with integration with other datasets