Minerals are essential for the development of a modern economy, but mineral resources are
finite and they can only be worked where they occur. As their extraction is subject to a
number of constraints, it is essential that society uses minerals in the most efficient and
sustainable manner. Identifying the distribution of known mineral resources in Wales and
presenting them in a consistent fashion across the whole country allows minerals to be
considered with other land-use information and permits more effective and sustainable
management strategies to be developed.
The British Geological Survey has undertaken a commission through its Mineral Resources
and Policy team, led from the BGS Cardiff office, to prepare for the Welsh Assembly
Government a series of six mineral resources maps which cover the whole of the Principality
of Wales. This work was completed in June 2010 and the series of digitally generated maps at
a scale of 1:100 000 are now available. Theses maps cover the 25 Unitary and Mineral
Planning Authority areas of Wales.
Wales contains a wide range of minerals, many of which have been exploited since historical
times. There are still significant energy resources in the coalfields of South and North-east
Wales, limestones and sandstones across Wales with a range of aggregate and industrial uses
and significant deposits of sand, gravel and clay. These resources are important national
assets and adequate and steady supplies are needed to maintain current and future economic
development.
The major elements of minerals information presented on the maps are:
The geological distribution of all onshore (above low water mark) mineral resources
in Wales
The location of mineral extraction sites
The recorded occurrences of metallic minerals
The recorded location of former slate quarries and significant areas of slate waste
The recorded location of historic building stone quarrie
